


A Shot at Love

by Jas1922



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Don't hate Junmyeon and Minseok pls, Kid!Sehun, M/M, Single Parents, Strippers & Strip Clubs, ceo!au, sad attempt at humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 09:18:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17404217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jas1922/pseuds/Jas1922
Summary: Kyungsoo visits a strip club on his birthday and gets the best gift of his life?(Alternatively: Kyungsoo gets a shot at love for his birthday. Thanks, Baekhyun!)





	A Shot at Love

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Kaisoo Day! ❤️
> 
> I haven't published a story in over a year… pls go easy on me hehe ^^ This plot actually developed from Jongin's Love Shot teaser, but it's more domestic fluff and romance than sexy now. Hope that some parts of this story will make you guys smile!

He’s late.

 

Seeing the 8:10am on his bedside alarm displayed in obnoxious neon pink (it was an unfortunate birthday gift bestowed upon him by his best friend years ago) makes for quite a rude awakening especially since Kyungsoo realises he now has less than half an hour to clock in at work.

 

Their human resources department can be quite uptight on things others consider trivial like filling in timesheets, and Kyungsoo very much prefers not to give them _more_ excuses to lower his end-of-year performance grade.

 

He tumbles out of bed in a heartbeat and makes a dash for the bathroom, cursing out loud when he stubs his big toe against the door. What a start to his day indeed.

 

 _RIP toe,_ he utters a silent prayer to the numb appendage. But there isn’t time to whine about his bad luck so he power hops his way over to the sink. The reflection staring back at him makes him wince — the unkempt hair sticking out at all different kinds of angles and also those eye bags. He looks like he belongs in an episode of the Walking Dead.

 

He should have been up more than an hour ago. Now it’s a race against time to get Sehun ready and get to the office _at least_ before his weekly catch-up meeting with middle management at 9am. He figures he can at least force someone to help clock in earlier on his behalf just this once? ( _Ahem… that’s what best friends are for right?_ )

 

The odds aren’t exactly stacked in his favour what with rush hour traffic added to the picture now. Kyungsoo knew rushing out spreadsheets and a deck of slides last night was a big mistake. Now he’s going to be late for said meeting he was preparing for. What luck. But that’s the thing about working in corporate right — the effort one puts in often might (does) not pay off?

 

“Hunnie. Baby, wake up.” Kyungsoo limps into the five-year old’s room after the quickest he has ever washed up and touches the boy’s face gently. “Come on, daddy’s going to be late for work,” he coaxes. Even in a rush, he does not have the heart to wake his son up abruptly.

 

Sehun starts to stir and eventually peels his eyes open, not without first letting out a disgruntled whine. Kyungsoo smiles, regardless, and leans down to peck his forehead. There is crust by the corner of the boy’s eyes and also a trail of dried up drool stemming from the corner of his lips, but he thinks there is no prettier sight.

 

“Good morning, baby.” At least the affectionate greeting coaxes a bout of giggles from Sehun who hugs his father’s arm to his chest. “We’re late, come on. Be a good boy for me and go brush your teeth, okay?” He wipes away the mess on the boy’s face.

 

At this, Sehun whines again and tries to get away by burying his face in his pillow. “No! Don’t wanna! Hunnie wanna sleep more.” Kyungsoo tries to persuade the boy to wake up again, but he gets a kick to his thighs the moment he tries.  

 

Oh dear, it’s one of those days — when the five-year old, who is typically very obedient, just doesn’t want to cooperate for some reason. Kyungsoo sighs.

 

On good days, which is more often than not, Sehun will be up and about with only a single call of his name and a kiss to his cheeks. It’s tough knowing what to do on bad days like this. If only he had someone else around to help him, perhaps he would know better.

 

But alas, Kyungsoo has never complained about _nor_ hated being a single father so he is not going to start now.

 

“I know, baby. Daddy wants to sleep more too. Let’s forget about going to childcare and work and sleep all day, okay?” Kyungsoo eventually resorts to playing along and flops down, burying his face in Sehun’s tummy and excessively rubbing against the exposed soft skin as his pajama shirt rides up. One thing he had picked up from Naver _(don’t ask why Naver)_ is the wonders of reverse psychology in child care. The warm puffs of air he blows against the boy’s tummy makes the latter wriggle in an attempt to get away from his playful father.

 

“Stop! No tickles, daddy,” Sehun shrieks and grabs onto Kyungsoo’s hair, tugging on it. But it’s all harmless.

 

“You want me to stop?” Kyungsoo asks, not in any way slowing down his affectionate attacks yet. He knows he has almost gotten his way when the boy giggles and pushes at his head once more.

 

“Hunnie needs pee pee.”

 

“Okay, okay. Let’s get you to the washroom. Because you’re such a good boy, I’ll make you a sandwich for breakfast, okay?” Kyungsoo figures what’s another minute or two lost on breakfast. He smiles in victory when Sehun finally sits up and asks “hmm okay… with egg, yes daddy?” before rubbing at his eyes with the balls of his fists.

 

“No, sandwiches with _broccoli_ , not eggs,” Kyungsoo cannot resist teasing his son, and when the five-year old stills and gives him a wide-eyed look, he cannot hold in his laugher any longer. That joke had definitely woken the boy up.

 

“B-Broccoli?” Sehun looks on the verge of actual tears at his diet suggestion.

 

“I was just kidding!” Kyungsoo rushes out. He himself _hates_ broccoli so he will never do that to his baby. “With eggs it is!” He pats Sehun on the butt and sets the boy down on the floor before making his way out of the room, chuckling to himself when he hears Sehun grumbling and dragging his feet all the way into the bathroom. The boy already knows how to pee and brush his teeth by himself so that’s one less thing for Kyungsoo to worry about.

 

A quick glance at the clock on the wall tells him it’s almost 8:20am and Kyungsoo picks up his pace. He swings open the refrigerator doors and surveys its contents to see what else he can add in their sandwiches besides eggs. From then on, it’s going through the motions as he tries to get them ready to leave the house, except everything he does today is fast forwarded two times.

 

Baekhyun calls when he is just about done frying omelettes, and even though Kyungsoo is tempted to let the call go unanswered, he knows his best friend well enough to know he will just keep calling till he gets what he wants anyways, so…

 

“What’s up, nerd? Can’t talk now. Bye—”

 

“Don’t you dare hang up on me!” Baekhyun screeches, cutting him off and almost making him lose his hearing. “Where are you now? I thought you said we could grab breakfast at Macs today? It’s almost 8:20am now. If I don’t see your pretty face in five minutes, I’m revoking our friendship rights!” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. His best friend can be such a diva.

 

But two can play a game. “I didn’t want to be friends with you in kindergarten anyways. You were the one who insisted, need I remind you?” he says cheerily. “Your loss… Bye~”  

 

“Wait! No, you take that back!” Baekhyun screams in his ear in panic.  

 

“Oh god, why are you so loud?” Kyungsoo groans. “Sehun and I woke up late, okay? Don’t worry I’ll come in as soon as I can. Can you at least be helpful and help me clock—”

 

“Daddy!” Sehun’s horrified scream from the second floor startles him.

 

“Ooh… is that my precious godson I hear?” Baekhyun coos.

 

Contrary to the other, Kyungsoo reacts to the boy’s scream very differently.

 

“What! Oh my god, what?” He ignores his best friend and starts to panic, already fearing the worst. Maybe Sehun fell and hit his head? Maybe he peed all over the floor again, slipped and _then_ hit his head? The possibilities are many and he only has that one son; he will die if he loses him. Kyungsoo slaps down the slice of bread he was holding to complete the egg sandwich. “I’m coming, Sehun! Don’t move,” he yells again. “I love you!” he adds for good measure, _you know_ … (just in case it was the last).

 

“Hunnie dropped Vivi in toilet bowl!” His son yells next, sounding absolutely distraught.

 

“What—” It has Kyungsoo coming to an abrupt stop at the foot of the stairs and he blinks dumbly as the words _Vivi_ and _toilet bowl_ register in his mind. Okay, maybe he was overrunning his imagination back there.

 

“Save him!”

 

Vivi is Sehun’s beloved stuffed toy and he must have accidentally dropped him in the toilet bowl before he got to pee. Kyungsoo prays it is _before_ and not after he peed.  

 

“Is he crying?” The sudden gasp and Baekhyun’s voice in Kyungsoo’s ear makes him jump. He had forgotten the other was still on the line. “Save him!” This time, it is his best friend screaming at him using the exact words Sehun had used. “Don’t worry, Hunnie! Your favourite Uncle Baekkie is coming to save you!” This one he directs to Sehun, even though Baekhyun is clearly not on speaker mode so the only victim his loudness claims are Kyungsoo’s ears.

 

God, Kyungsoo thinks he should really reconsider who he is friends with.

 

“I’m going, I’m going… okay?!” He hisses into his phone before yelling to Sehun, “I’m coming!” He sighs and trudges up the stairs with less urgency this time. “Just so you know, you’re no longer his favourite uncle. He demoted you to second favourite after you refused to sing him the baby shark song last week. Remember?”  

 

He puts his phone on speaker mode just in time for Sehun to hear Baekhyun’s dramatic gasp and “ _fucking Jongdae!_ ”, and likewise, for Baekhyun to hear Sehun calling out to Kyungsoo in between tears. Kyungsoo winces and hopes his son doesn’t pick up on the vulgarities.

 

“There there… he’s fine,” he plucks Vivi out of the toilet bowl and holds his hand out to Sehun who sniffles before grabbing it. Together, they make their way over to the laundry room as he and Baekhyun try to comfort the five-year old, but to no avail.

 

“I don’t think I’ll be able to make it in time for the meeting, Baek. Will you at least clock in for me? My record has been pretty bad these past couple of weeks, and I know Minseok from HR is just waiting for me to slip up again.”  

 

“But you have to make it in for the meeting!” He can make out Baekhyun’s frustration in his voice. “This is finally your chance to share your proposal for the lakeside redevelopment project. You know the bosses are going to love it and you will finally get the promotion and raise you deserve. That bastard, Junmyeon, is going to snatch your account again if you’re not there. You know this right?”

 

Kyungsoo sighs while stuffing Vivi into the washing machine and starting it up, all under the close supervision of Sehun, of course, who he has no doubt will kick up a fuss if any harm befalls his precious Vivi.

 

“Yeah, but he’s family with the big boss anyways. We all know how this will end. Minseok is also waiting for me to slip up again to put in a good word for Junmyeon. I might not even get the chance to present. Besides, there’s no way I can drop off Sehun at his childcare centre and make it in by 9am.”

 

He watches as the said boy walks up to the washing machine and presses his palm against the glass where he can see Vivi spinning around and around in circles. The sight is equal part sweet and equal part hilarious, so he whispers a “ _hold on_ ” to Baekhyun to quickly snap a picture on his phone.

 

“You’ll never know if you don’t try. How about this… Don’t bring Sehun to the childcare centre, bring him in and I’ll watch him. My morning schedule looks pretty clear today and my manager is on leave. That should save you some time to get here right?”

 

“Yeah, definitely.”

 

But that is if he can somehow persuade Sehun to leave the house without Vivi within the next five minutes. He can probably make it if he breaks a couple of speed traps on the way. The quick wash timer on the washing machine reflects a countdown from half an hour, and with the dryer still necessary after that, there’s no way he can afford to wait for Vivi to recover from his unfortunate toilet bowl visit.

 

“Then, that’s settled!”

 

“But are you sure it’s not too much trouble?” Kyungsoo hesitates.

 

“Of course not! Anything for my precious Sehunnie, right?”

 

The five-year old turns around when he hears Baekhyun calling his name, but he doesn’t move an inch away from the washing machine.

 

“Say hi to Uncle Baekhyun, Hunnie,” Kyungsoo coaxes, but he gets ignored by Sehun who turns back around in favour of the toy in the washing machine.

 

“Vivi…” The boy almost whimpers, and Kyungsoo sighs. There goes his hopes of making it out of the house within the next five minutes. Sehun has always been too attached to the dog. Kyungsoo has read enough parenting resources online to know physically forcing the boy to leave now when he clearly doesn’t want to is not the right way to go.

 

“I don’t think I can make it in by 9am, Baek. Sehun clearly doesn’t want to leave Vivi yet.” He sits down on the floor beside the said boy.

 

“Kyungsoo…” Baekhyun says softly, recognising and accepting his resignation. “Is there anything I can do to help? Maybe I can persuade the bosses to postpone the meeting by an hour or to another date?”

 

“The client gave a pretty tight timeline so that’s practically impossible.”

 

“Dumbo,” the other curses. (They had previously established Dumbo and Fruitcake as replacements for the words _Damn_ and _Fuck_ in Sehun’s presence _._ ) “I’m sorry, Kyungsoo. If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. _Fruitcake!_ Things shouldn’t have to be like this.”

 

“Well…” Kyungsoo trails off, “I suppose there is one thing we can try to persuade Sehun to leave Vivi behind, kinda…?” It’s a bait he often puts out, and as usual, Baekhyun falls for it every time.

 

“What is it? I’ll do _anything_ ,” the other declares.

 

 _Bingo._ Kyungsoo smirks.

 

“Hunnie,” he picks up the said boy who, of course, struggles in his arms. “Do you want Uncle Baekkie to sing you the baby shark song?” He smiles when Sehun stills instantly, Vivi all but forgotten as he peers up at Kyungsoo and nods excitedly. Because he knows Sehun loves the (annoying) baby shark song as much as, or even a teeny tiny bit more, than Vivi. It’s the best shot he has. The stuffed toy can drown in the washing machine for all it wants now. “Awww Baek… he wants you to sing! Right, Hunnie?”  

 

“Uncle Baekkie, shark doo doo doo?”

 

“Fruitcake you, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun says between gritted teeth. His best friend hates this song as much as he does.

 

“Come on, it’s almost 8:30am. We need to leave if we want to make it on time,” he chuckles.  

 

“Fine! But you have to sing along with me.”

 

Kyungsoo makes a face at once. He rather die, that’s why he had been pushing off this responsibility to Jongdae and now Baekhyun. But he realises he has no choice when Sehun looks up at him with nothing but hope in his eyes. _Those_ eyes! He can never say no.  

 

“B-Baby shark doo doo doo doo—” he follows along in his deep voice reluctantly, stuttering a little, only feeling better for himself when Sehun squeals and claps along. He knows this is probably the best behaviour he’s going to get from the boy so he walks right out of the laundry room and starts to grab their stuff to leave.

 

The second he steps out of their front door and locks up, he crashes into someone he assumes is the postman dropping off a delivery. Thank god he has a tight hold on Sehun in his arms so he doesn’t drop his son. (Also, Sehun has a tight hold on his hair so… _ouch._ )

 

“Hello, I just moved in next—”

 

“Sorry, can’t talk right now. I’m late! You can leave the delivery at the door,” Kyungsoo rushes off without even casting a glance at his new neighbour, missing out on the bemused expression on the other’s face.

 

“Wait, I’m not the—”

 

“Bye bye, ahjusshi!” He feels Sehun adjusting his position to look back over his shoulders, and he thinks his son is probably cutely flapping his hands too in a resemblance of wave. All he manages to hear next is the affronted gasp and a _“Hey! I’m not an ahjusshi, kid”_ before he buckles Sehun in and slams his car door shut before driving away.

 

There’s an outline of a tall man Kyungsoo sees through the rearview mirror, but he’s too far away now to see the stranger’s face, even with all his squinting. All that registers in his mind is the full red suit the other is wearing — a unique choice of clothing, especially for his neighbourhood. Hmmm… did the Post Office change their uniform recently?

 

“Turn on baby shark doo doo, daddy?” Sehun’s expectant voice draws away his attention.

 

 _Oh for fruitcake sake!_ Kyungsoo holds in his groan and pops the _only_ CD he has in his car into the drive. He knows he probably looks like Gru in Despicable Me with the way he hunches over the wheel and tries to concentrate on driving while Sehun sings along enthusiastically in the backseat, but he doesn't care.

 

=

 

“Daddy?”

 

Kyungsoo furrows his eyebrows at the sudden interruption. He had been so close to arriving at an idea, but before he can put pen to paper, Sehun’s voice had instantly robbed him of the thought. He tries not to sigh.

 

He knows he can’t ignore his baby so he turns to Sehun with a patient smile. The pen clutched in his hands almost breaks when he catches sight of the five-year old holding up a yellow _uncapped_ highlighter to his forehead.

 

“Colour! Okay?” Sehun chirps. “Or red colour? Daddy, choose!” The boy pushes a bunch of stationery towards Kyungsoo and asks him to pick.

 

“Oh my god. No! Put that down please!” He yelps and jumps forward to snatch the highlighter out of the boy’s small hand. He quickly puts it away on the ledge above his work desk, way out of Sehun’s reach, and the latter juts his bottom lip out in a pout when he realizes his short arms aren’t ever going to make it.

 

“But Hunnie wants to do colouring, Daddy,” the five-year old whines and jumps off the small stool he was perched on before tottering to his father’s side. He clearly knows if he pouts hard enough, his father will yield.

 

Kyungsoo, who had already switched back to focus on refining his deck of slides, sighs, places down his own pen and picks Sehun up to sit on his knee when the other nudges at his thigh. “You have a colouring book in your bag, honey. Why do you want to colour your face?” He pinches the little one’s cheeks teasingly and smiles when Sehun pushes his hand away with a frown.

 

Despite the half-empty powerpoint slide staring back at him, and despite his awareness of the tight timeline he is working on, Kyungsoo figures he can take a momentary break. It’s almost time for lunch anyways.

 

“Because Hunnie wants cool hair like cool ahjusshi!” Sehun declares. The boy flicks his eyes up to stare at his short fringe and runs his fingers through them, making a mess for Kyungsoo to comb through later. “Why Hunnie hair black? Hunnie no like black,” he pouts.

 

Oh god, his baby isn’t even at the age to think about dying his hair!

 

“Which cool ahjusshi?” Kyungsoo shifts Sehun around so that he is properly seated on his lap, facing him. He dismisses the thought of cool ahjusshi being Baekhyun at once, because in no way is his best friend considered cool. “Did Uncle Baekkie let you watch more anime again?” He asks in a stern voice. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the other had indeed indulged his son in one or two episodes of Slam Dunk — arguably the best anime ever made, in the words of Baekhyun, arguably the biggest anime fan, himself.

 

Kyungsoo had to stay late in office a couple of days ago, and his best friend had offered to babysit. He recalls specifically reminding the other of Sehun’s bedtime and _not_ to let the boy watch any TV, but clearly Baekhyun does not adhere to instructions very well.

 

Sehun shakes his head. “No, cool ahjusshi outside our house this morning. Remember, daddy?”

 

To be honest, Kyungsoo has no idea who the boy is talking about. Is he referring to the postman from this morning? His confusion must be obvious in his face for Sehun proceeds to narrow his eyes and fold his arms against his chest to look like he is scolding his father for his bad memory. The boy fails miserably though, since he just looks adorable in Kyungsoo’s eyes.

 

“Cool ahjusshi in red and he has bling bling in his ears,” the five-year old twiddles with his fingers distractedly.

 

Kyungsoo hides his face in Sehun’s hair. “Sorry, baby. Daddy didn’t see cool ahjusshi because I was in a rush.” Sehun starts squirming just then, a clear sign that he wants to be let down from Kyungsoo’s lap.

 

There’s a timely knock on the glass door of Kyungsoo’s office and they look over to see Baekhyun and Seulgi, both doing their best impersonations of a clown by having their faces pressed annoyingly against his glass.

 

One of Baekhyun’s nostrils looks amusingly large at this angle, so Kyungsoo does not pass up the opportunity to snap a quick photo. The second the other realises what he had done, he pulls away from the glass and makes a sound of protest, but it’s all too late.

 

“Delete that, Soo!” Baekhyun demands and strides into his office.

 

“Wait, send it to me first. I’ll put it on Facebook,” Seulgi says, just in time before Sehun launches himself at her knees. “Hello, buddy! It feels like I haven’t seen you in a long time. You look taller!”

 

“Uh-huh! Hunnie grew taller. This much!” The boy emphasises by using his small hands, holding them shoulder-width apart, and giggles when Seulgi picks him up. Sehun must miss her because of her extended stay abroad supervising a development project for he wraps his arms around her neck to give her a hug; he hasn’t seen his favourite aunt who’s constantly spoiling him in weeks.

 

At the sign of affection, Seulgi squeals and kisses the boy’s forehead.

 

Seulgi is only Kyungsoo’s other close friend, besides Baekhyun and Jongdae, in his small social circle. They had first met in college, both students with different aspirations but both heeding to their parents’ wishes of getting a generic business degree for it supposedly gives one more prospects for the future. (Bullshit!) In a lot of ways, Seulgi is a lot like a female version of Baekhyun — both headstrong, energetic and plain crazy at times. It’s no surprise their friendship just works.

 

(Or not.)

 

Kyungsoo notices that they bicker a lot, sometimes even on the daily. But it’s all sunshine after the rain. He rolls his eyes as he watches the drama unfold in his office while wiping at his glass door to remove any possible germs his friends might have left from their earlier antics.

 

“No hogging Sehun,” Baekhyun says loudly and holds his hands out to the said boy. “Come to Uncle Baekkie.” He claps his hands together invitingly and makes funny faces to appeal to Sehun, but he lets out a surprised gasp when the five-year old all but sticks his nose up in the air in outright rejection.

 

“You had your fill this morning looking after him. It’s my turn now, right Hunnie?” Seulgi coos and squeezes Sehun to herself tightly. She had been in the same meeting with Kyungsoo earlier.

 

“No Uncle Baekkie,” the boy gives the affirmative and giggles at the way he makes Baekhyun whine pathetically. Sehun literally has both Seulgi and Baekhyun eating out of his small palms, and Kyungsoo smiles to himself proudly. His son will go far in life.

 

“You ungrateful brat!” Baekhyun props his hands on his hips and gives Sehun a stern look. “To think I spent all morning singing you the baby shark song when your daddy was in his meeting,” he tsks. “How did that go, by the way?” This he asks of Kyungsoo, turning away from Seulgi who was busy entertaining the five-year old by telling him stories of her travels.  

 

“I guess it went alright?” Kyungsoo shrugs. “Come on, I’ll tell you more later… Let’s go for lunch? I’m starving.”

 

=

 

“All I had was ten minutes left for the last agenda item, but some of the senior managers seemed to be considering my proposal favourably. Junmyeon’s presentation wasn’t even that impressive… so fingers crossed?” he tells Baekhyun on the way down to the staff canteen, with Seulgi and Sehun walking up ahead.

 

Kyungsoo knows he shouldn’t be hopeful at this stage, but how can he not expect good returns after all the hard work he has put into developing his proposal these past few months? He had sacrificed sleep, he had sacrificed family time with Sehun, and he had sacrificed hanging out with his friends. How can all these be for naught?

 

Sensing his worries, Baekhyun wraps an arm around his shoulders and gives him a squeeze. “Fingers crossed! Everything will work out well, Soo. I’ll always root for you, no matter what.” And it’s moments like this that reminds Kyungsoo why he is best friends with Baekhyun; why even though he always jokes about ending their friendship, he never really means it.

 

Because Baekhyun has always been his most loyal supporter, and even though they share not an ounce of blood in their veins, they’re practically brothers, _family_ , over friends.

 

“I know,” Kyungsoo’s lips curl up into a wide, warm smile. “Thank you.” And he means it sincerely.  

 

“Daddy!” Sehun screams for his attention just then, drawing looks from all over the canteen, and Kyungsoo quickly goes to shush him lest some of his bosses are in the vicinity and they chase them out. “Hunnie needs pee pee!” A couple of his female colleagues seated by the entrance fawns over the five-year old at once, while others stifle their laughs, but Sehun skips away from the scary outstretched hands looking to pinch his cheeks and grabs onto Kyungsoo’s trousers to hide behind his legs.

 

“Okay, honey. Let’s go,” Kyungsoo sighs. If he wasn’t already used to it, he would have made a fuss out of it because they just went to the washroom a little over an hour ago, and now they have to make a visit again. “Sorry guys,” he tells his friends.

 

“No worries, we’ll grab food for you two and find a seat by the windows,” Seulgi ruffles Sehun’s hair before going to join the start of the lunch queue.

 

Baekhyun crouches down till he’s eye level with Sehun and smiles. “Uncle Baekkie will get banana milk for you, okay? Come back fast.” The smile the five-year old gives Baekhyun, like the latter has just offered him the best gift, can only be described as dazzling. And Kyungsoo usually tells his best friend off for spoiling his son, but he can’t find it in himself to do the same this time.

 

“What should you say?” He prompts Sehun, who practically throws himself forward to hug Baekhyun.

 

“Thank you!”

 

“We’ll be right back,” Kyungsoo smiles at Baekhyun before leading Sehun away.

 

He certainly wasn’t expecting to bump into the two persons he least wanted to see after they finish up in the washroom.

 

“Hello, Doh-sshi.”

 

Kyungsoo looks up in the mirror and gives a terse nod to Junmyeon and Minseok who had just entered the washroom, before busying himself again with wiping dry Sehun’s hands. For some reason, the boy was being playful and avoiding the paper towels in favour of drying his hands on Kyungsoo’s trousers instead.

 

“Interesting presentation earlier,” Junmyeon stops in front of a cubicle and says with a lilt at the end, almost as if he wants to say more but has reconsidered. “Your concept is novel, yes, but it’s a little too unrealistic… you’re asking the company to spend millions on resources, but we both know my stingy Uncle and the Board will never agree to it,” he scoffs.

 

 _Seriously?_ Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. He has plenty to say about the other’s proposal too, but this is neither the time nor place to drag each other. Sehun’s here, staring up at all of them innocently, for goodness sake.

 

“Don’t you need to take a dump, Junmyeon-sshi?” Kyungsoo doesn’t regret his choice of words. _Piece of shit,_ he adds in his mind, hoping that somehow the other can hear him. “Let’s go, Sehun,” he throws the used paper towels in the bin and grabs onto Sehun’s hand tightly, trying to usher the boy out of the washroom as soon as he can. Anything to get away from the growing stifling atmosphere.

 

“If I were you, I wouldn’t bring my son to work that often.” It was Minseok who had passed the comment, and somehow, the tone the other used did not sit right with Kyungsoo.

 

 _Do you have a problem with that?_ he wants to snap back at the pair of cousins, but instead he settles for a clipped, “Why can’t I when HR policies say I’m allowed to? Shouldn’t you know this better than anyone?” Kyungsoo hugs Sehun closer to himself, the boy’s presence helping to inject some calm in his growing agitation.

 

By now, Sehun has already gathered that these two strangers are making his father upset so he gives them the best glare he can muster. (Although, Kyungsoo will probably argue that he still looks cute — like a puppy whose sleep has been disrupted.)

 

“Bad ahjusshi!” the five year old scolds. “Let’s go, daddy. Hunnie wants banana milk,” Sehun quickly takes his hand and tugs on it. Kyungsoo almost bursts out in laughter when on the way out his son trods on not just Junmyeon’s, but also Minseok’s feet, causing them both to wince and scowl. It was definitely deliberate on the boy’s part, and Kyungsoo cannot be more amused (and proud). Well, it’s not like the pair can do anything to retaliate against a child either.

 

“Did you save daddy from the bad ahjusshi just now?” Kyungsoo asks, patting Sehun’s head affectionately, as they make their way back to the staff canteen.

 

The boy nods his head vigorously and looks up with hopeful eyes, as if expecting to get praised, so of course Kyungsoo picks him up and kisses his cheeks.

 

“Stop, daddy,” Sehun giggles and tries to lean away when he continues on. At this point, Kyungsoo doesn’t really care if he’s attracting the attention of his colleagues anymore. He spots Baekhyun and Seulgi waving them over from their usual booth so he makes his way to them. “Don’t be angry anymore, okay? Hunnie can give you a bit of banana milk.” The boy even emphasises how much by squeezing his thumb and index finger together. Just a bit it is _._

 

Kyungsoo laughs and sits Sehun down in front of Baekhyun who immediately lifts a spoonful of soup to the boy’s mouth.

 

“Ahhhh… open up,” the other coaxes. “What took you guys so long?” Baekhyun turns to face Kyungsoo after Sehun swallows and asks for more. “The food is already cooling.”

 

“Here, I got you guys kimchi stew and pork chops.” Seulgi slides him a tray.

 

“Bumped into the Kim terrors in the washroom.” Kyungsoo shudders and takes a sip of the stew. The surprised and apprehensive looks on Seulgi and Baekhyun’s faces respectively do not go unnoticed. “Junmyeon tried to take a dig at my proposal again, and Minseok didn’t really have nice words to say too… but it’s alright. You should have seen the way Sehun stomped on their feet,” he chuckles to himself.

 

“Hunnie punished bad ahjusshi!”

 

Baekhyun snorts and strokes the boy’s head, almost as if he was telling him _“job well done!”_

 

“Their attitudes are really getting from bad to worst in recent weeks, huh?” Seulgi frowns.

 

They look up from their food when they hear a commotion at the entrance to the canteen, and sure enough, there were Junmyeon and Minseok striding in like they own the place — staff making way for them to reach the food stations first, and even some greeting them warmly to gain favour for the future.

 

Granted, they are related to the current CEO of the company who is their uncle, so perhaps they do have some rights to put on airs. But it’s precisely this that Kyungsoo detests them. He had worked _so_ hard to get to his position as Team Lead currently. What did they do apart from taking the back door to climb as high as him?

 

“I think there’s going to be some changes upstairs, that’s why they’re being insufferable now,” Baekhyun says. “Rumor has it that the old man Kim is going to retire soon so there will definitely be leadership changes — a new CEO, new promotions and the likes.”

 

“Oh god, please don’t tell me they’re considering Junmyeon to take over as the new CEO,” Kyungsoo makes a face. Baekhyun and Seulgi exchange glances before the latter leans closer to Kyungsoo.

 

“Well, Yerim, the old man’s PA, kinda spilled over tea last week that he’s not really in favour of Junmyeon. Something about wanting his own children to take over the helms of the conglomerate he has built rather than leave it in the hands of his extended family.”

 

“But that’s the thing — he doesn’t have any children of his own, right?” Kyungsoo says. “I will quit first thing the day they announce Junmyeon as the new CEO. Watch me. The senior management is already profit-driven enough, not really caring about the welfare of staff so long as they reap in their monies. Junmyeon fits their mold perfectly. We shouldn’t tolerate a CEO like that… we need a complete change of the system!”  

 

“Did you not hear the word is old man Kim has a bastard son?” It is Baekhyun who speaks this time. “He’s probably around our age, but no one has ever seen him in person. Seems like their father-son relationship isn’t the best, but who knows? Maybe he’ll end up the next CEO. That’s how it always is in animes.”

 

“In dramas too,” Seulgi supplies.

 

Ever the pessimist, Kyungsoo can only roll his eyes. He doesn’t see how the current organisational structure is ever going to improve, especially in the hands of an enigma like old man Kim’s illegitimate child.

 

“Water,” Sehun demands, tugging at his sleeves, and Kyungsoo quickly offers the boy a sip from his cup.

 

“Eat your veggies,” he chides.

 

“Enough of all these talk. Lunch time is too precious to be wasted on gossiping about the Kim family,” Baekhyun brandishes his spoon in the air and a clump of rice goes flying. Thank god Kyungsoo’s reflexes are not too shabby for he manages to duck out of the way in time. “Let’s talk about tonight! I’m so excited!!” His best friend claps his hands together excitedly, staring at both him and Seulgi with an unusual gleam in his eyes.

 

“Tonight?” He frowns. “What’s happening tonight?” He turns to Seulgi, but to his surprise, she only gives him a secretive smile before looking over at Baekhyun.

 

“Don’t you know what day it is, Soo? I can’t believe you!”

 

Kyungsoo actually stares at Baekhyun with a blank look on his face. _Well, it is Friday (that he knows)_ … _so is the other asking to get drinks tonight?_ He doesn’t want to say the word beer in Sehun’s presence so he makes a drinking gesture and mouths the word. His son is too busy chewing on his pork chop to see.

 

“Seriously?” His best friend deadpans. “It’s your birthday, my dear friend. How can you forget your own birthday? Why did you think I asked you to grab Macs in the morning?”

 

“Wait, you were going to treat me to Mcdonalds for my birthday?” Kyungsoo asks in disbelief.

 

“That is beside the point,” Baekhyun says unabashedly.

 

“We’re going out tonight,” Seulgi tells him. “Baek made a reservation for us at the Elyxion… _the_ Elyxion. I can’t even believe how he managed that… that place is usually full every day. I can’t wait!”   

 

=

 

Baekhyun strides into his office at six sharp in the evening to inform that their Uber was here and they had to leave _now_ because he didn’t want to be cancelled on. Apparently it messes with the waiting time to get his next ride, not like Kyungsoo cares, but whatever.

 

“You do know I have a car, right? I can drive us,” he says.

 

“Nonsense!” Baekhyun dismisses his offer at once. “It’s your birthday and we’re going to make you drink. Come on, Soo! Have a good time for once. I’m not letting you leave the club sober.”

 

“Wait— you’re actually serious? We’re going to a strip club?!” The last two words he whispers because _parental guidance only._ Kyungsoo stands and watches helplessly as his best friend starts to pack up on his behalf, going around the room in a blitz and throwing random items into his bag without asking if he needed it later at home.

 

Sehun stands up from where he was crouched in a corner colouring and looks at them expectantly. “We go home now?” he asks. The boy must have felt bored and wanted to go home, but Kyungsoo hadn’t realised because the five-year old didn’t give any indication of it. He actually feels a little bad now looking at his son’s happy smile.

 

“Oh, he’s serious all right.” Seulgi strides into his office this time and tosses something at him while giving him a wink. Unraveling the package, Kyungsoo sees it’s a button up shirt and a pair of black jeans. He frowns and gives his friends an enquiring look. “Baekhyun picked you an outfit.”

 

“Got to look hot to score your birthday gift, honey.” Baekhyun smirks.

 

“Baekhyun!” He exclaims. _Not in front of Sehun!_ Besides, there’s not going to be any scoring of any kind, what the hell is the other on about? His jaw drops the more he stares at the pair of jeans Baekhyun had picked out for him because _is this in kids size or what? How the hell am I supposed to squeeze into this?_

 

Well Kyungsoo is touched his friends had planned to celebrate his birthday, them not informing him prior of these plans means it’s hard for him to join in. Who’s going to take care of Sehun if they’re out? Who’s going to make dinner for the boy? Also, he was planning to cook them the leftover chicken he had from yesterday, but guess that’s going into the trash now. _Damn,_ he was really looking forward to cooking dakgalbi too.

 

“Guys, look… I appreciate your kind thoughts, really, I do,” he says. “But I won’t be able to join you guys tonight, alright?” Baekhyun and Seulgi exchange glances for some reason, and perhaps he should have taken it as a sign of warning for what they had in mind for him later. Too bad Kyungsoo chooses to dismiss it. “I’m bringing Sehun home. Come Hunnie, let’s go.” The said boy takes hold of his hand the second he offers it, hoping on the spot lightly to right the position of his small bag pack on his shoulders.

 

“If you’re concerned about who’s going to take care of Sehun, don’t worry, I’ve already made arrangements,” Baekhyun gives him a small smile and a clap on the shoulders before crouching in front of the said boy. “Hunnie…” Sehun cocks his head and blinks. “Your grandma is waiting downstairs for you and she says she misses you so much! Do you want to see grandma? Let’s not let her wait any longer, ok?”

 

The boy’s face literally lights up when he hears his grandma is here. “Grandmama is here to see Hunnie?” Sehun screeches and looks up at Kyungsoo excitedly. “Hunnie miss Grandmama a lot a lot…” he starts drawing big circles in the air with his arms, supposedly to demonstrate just how much a lot was. “We go to Grandmama now?” The five-year old looks up and gives him an expectant look again.

 

“Please don’t tell me you told my mother we’re going to a strip club,” Kyungsoo deadpans.

 

“What’s a strip club?” An innocent voice asks.

 

“Oh honey, a strip club is a— _Ow!_ ” Baekhyun gives him a death stare for jabbing at his ribs, but Kyungsoo ignores him and crouches down to look at Sehun at eye-level. It was a slip of the tongue he regrets.

 

“Hunnie, a strip club is a very very very (he cannot stress this enough) bad place that you should never _never_ visit, and you shouldn’t even talk about it… _ever—_ ” The boy actually looks a bit scared now — because of his reaction or because of his over-emphasis on the word _very_ , he does not know — but Kyungsoo counts it as a success nonetheless. Hopefully Sehun will forget what he had heard. “—if not, you’ll never get to see daddy again. Do you understand?” His son’s eyes are opened so wide now Kyungsoo actually worries if he will make his son cry. “Do you want to see daddy again?”

 

Sehun bites down on his bottom lip and nods his head with fervour.

 

“Then forget about what you heard, alright?”

 

Again, another nod.

 

“Have you heard about a strip club before, honey,” Kyungsoo decides to test.

 

Sehun, ever the innocent, starts to nod, only to catch himself at the very last second and changes direction at once so he looks like he is shaking his head. The boy also looks like he almost twisted his head off, and Kyungsoo’s heart may have skipped a little.

 

“N-No, no daddy,” Sehun says timidly, sounding as if he was worried his father would call him out for the initial nod, and gives his best pleading look. Of course he looks adorable doing so. The three adults in the room almost squeal.

 

“Good boy, come here.” The boy walks right into Kyungsoo’s open arms and he gives him a kiss on the head. Eventually, he releases Sehun and the boy skips over to Seulgi when she calls out to him, the pair leading them out of his office and in the direction of the lifts.

 

“Wow, way to put your son off the fun of strip clubs for life,” Baekhyun sniggers. “Imagine him as a grown-up telling his friends he can’t go because his daddy said no once upon a time—”

 

“Speak about strip clubs in front of him again and I’ll end you.”

 

True enough, Kyungsoo finds his mother waiting for them at the lobby of the building.

 

“Grandmama!” Sehun yells and sprints towards his grandmother at once. The woman, who Kyungsoo bets was looking up the Toys “R” Us online store for more toys for Sehun, looks up at the boy’s voice and squeals, stepping forward to meet them halfway.

 

“My baby,” she pecks Sehun’s cheeks and picks him up, a little too easily for a woman nearing her 60s, he dare says. “Hi son,” she greets him cheerily, like an afterthought when she realises they weren’t alone, but Kyungsoo still bends forward, albeit a little begrudgingly, to kiss her on the cheek. Once upon a time, she used to call him her baby too, but ever since Sehun came into their lives, it was “baby” for the boy and he got demoted to plainly just “son”. Kyungsoo can’t say he’s not a little salty.

 

Baekhyun and Seulgi greet her too and she smiles at them warmly before Sehun’s hands on her cheeks steal all her attention.

 

“I stay with Grandmama today?” he asks, before turning his head to look at Kyungsoo.

 

“Yes, baby.” She nuzzles against Sehun’s cheeks before looking over at Kyungsoo too. “Your daddy has a busy night out with his friends later. You’ll follow me and we can watch cartoons and eat ice cream after dinner, sounds good?”

 

“Good!” Sehun beams and buries his face in her neck. “Bye bye, daddy,” he mumbles. Not even a wave or a look over at him. Kyungsoo scoffs. _Ungrateful brat._ The boy used to kick up a fuss whenever Kyungsoo had to leave him to sleep over at his grandparents’ place because he had to pull an all-nighter at work, but guess a promise of cartoons and ice cream was all the trick needed. He should learn from his mother.

 

“You can pick him up from our place in the morning,” his mother tells him. His jaw also drops when she adds, “have fun at the club.” With a wink. A _slow_ wink, as if she knows what he would be up to later. Kyungsoo claps his hands over his face and drags them down.

 

“I can’t believe you told my mother we’re going to a strip club,” he groans in sheer embarrassment when his mother and Sehun are finally out of hearing range.

 

“Oh but I didn’t,” Baekhyun says.

 

“Then how?”

 

“She must have inferred I would bring you to one. I’m proud… it shows how much faith your mother has in me as your friend who’s a bad influence. Now, don’t give me that look, _mister_ , you and I both know—”

 

“Baek, is that your driver? He’s pulling out of the drive,” Seulgi interrupts.

 

“Fuck!” Baekhyun starts running, them following after him at once, but it’s too little too late. L-1458 manages to join in the wave of incoming traffic and soon they lose sight of the Honda. “Dammit I even used up my credits to book that!”

 

“So does that mean I can go home and sleep now?” Kyungsoo asks when he deems it safe to — when Baekhyun stops typing on his phone furiously, and when Seulgi stops laughing at the other.

 

“Shut up, grandpa. We’re celebrating your birthday, deal with it,” his best friend snaps and waves irritatedly in the general direction of the office lobby. “Go change into the clothes I got you. Shoo!” Kyungsoo pouts. He’s not a grandpa, okay? “Tell Jongdae we’ll be slightly late, Seulgi. I’m getting us another ride.”

 

=

 

“I can’t believe we’re really here.” The lack of enthusiasm in his voice is obvious. Kyungsoo looks up at the signboard of “the Elyxion” and the tacky tagline beneath it “where all your fantasies come true”. He rolls his eyes at Baekhyun. How apt for a strip club, he thinks. “I’m out of here,” he says. Surely sleep or a relaxing movie night at his parents’ place with his son is a better way to end his birthday? Just imagine hot chocolate and a snuggle party on the couch. Sounds perfect. Afterall, he’s too old to do birthdays. (He’s 29.)

 

Unfortunately, his best friend catches him by the arm and drags him back to his side the second he tries to step away. “Nope, you’re not going anywhere except through those curtains and into the club with me.” Baekhyun tuts.

 

Baekhyun’s small in build like him, so Kyungsoo thinks he has a chance if he wrestles his way out of the other’s grip. Besides, he knows his best friend’s weak spot – a quick jab to his sides will be good enough. But the second Seulgi links her arm with his free one, he dismisses the thought at once. He wouldn’t want to mess with Seulgi. The girl is tough, and as stubborn as Baekhyun. He’s pretty sure her long nails will draw blood if he so much as tries to shirk her off.

 

“Yeah, come on, Soo,” Seulgi says, nothing in her smile giving away how hard she’s actually squeezing his arm. She’s the devil. “Live a little! Who knows, maybe you’ll really hit it off with someone tonight?”

 

“The perfect gift for the birthday boy!” Baekhyun crows.

 

Kyungsoo can only stare at his two friends with a judgy look when they both wink and bat their eyelashes at him. It’s true he hasn’t had a relationship in a really long time. Wait, scratch that. He hasn’t had a relationship _ever_ – Sehun was the product of a drunk one-night stand in college, and after his mother handed him over to Kyungsoo’s care, they had not kept in contact with each other.

 

He does get lonely sometimes, and he has tried his hand at dating others along the way. But all prospects had failed to materialise after his dates learnt that he was already a father, which meant he came with both a physical and emotional baggage. He loves Sehun a whole bunch, so there was simply no option of leaving him out of the equation. Those that didn’t mind Sehun, often times, there was simply no chemistry for them to carry on pursuing a romantic relationship.  

 

Above finding a one-night stand again to satisfy his occasional urges, he prefers someone who will stick around in the long-term — someone who Sehun is comfortable around, who wouldn’t mind waking up in the middle of the night to comfort the boy when he gets nightmares, and who wouldn’t mind bringing him breakfast in bed on lazy mornings. You get the drift.

 

Essentially, Kyungsoo wants someone he knows he will never find in a strip club.

 

“As if I can find anyone decent in a _strip club_ ,” he scoffs in reply to his friends.

 

“Oh, you’ll be surprised,” Seulgi says at the same time Baekhyun claims, “actually, you’re right… because everyone in the club will be _indecent_ , if you get my drift?” His best friend gives him another wink and lewd smile. _Indecent_ — as in, most of the staff will be dressed _indecently_ and partaking in _indecent_ activities into the night… Yes, he gets Baekhyun’s drift indeed.

 

“You’re impossible,” Kyungsoo groans, to which, Baekhyun and Seulgi then team up to laugh at him before marching him forward. The direction they walk in takes him by surprise. “Wait, don’t we need to join the back of the queue?” He looks between his friends confusedly and gestures at the long line of people snaking all the way to the end of the block.

 

When his friends had first suggested they visit the “hottest club in town” this morning, he wasn’t expecting _this_. But then again, he doesn’t really have much experience with clubs so who is he to know what to expect right?

 

“Nope, Baek has _connections_ ,” Seulgi pats his arm reassuringly, while the said guy smirks and walks ahead of them, strutting cockily. “Oh there’s Jongdae! Perfect timing, as always.” Kyungsoo doesn’t like it that he has to crane his neck all the way to look up at the guards they stop in front of.

 

“Hey, Soo! Happy birthday,” Jongdae greets him with fist bump. “Excited?”

 

“Very,” he deadpans. “Can’t you tell from my face.”

 

His old friend bursts out in laughter. “Come on! It’s really nice inside, I swear. You’ll see!”

 

“Byun Baekhyun and friends,” Baekhyun greets the bulky man towering over them with a sickeningly sweet voice that has Kyungsoo staring at him in disbelief (and disgust), before gesturing at them, “or colleagues, or underlings, or minions, whatever you want to call them– _OW!_ ” Kyungsoo wants to thank Seulgi for promptly pinching Baekhyun’s butt because he was this close to kicking him in the nuts himself.

 

(He wasn’t sure if sacrificing his favourite pair of dad shoes to come in contact with his best friend’s nuts was worth it so he had hesitated.)

 

“We’re secretly his parents,” Seulgi jokes, but the guard doesn’t even give an indication that he had heard her as he looks for Baekhyun’s name in his list. The said guy hisses and rubs at his behind while glaring at Seulgi.

 

“I believe we are registered under–”  

 

“Ah yes, under Mr Park’s name. Here you are, Mr Byun,” the guard cuts him off and holds up the clipboard to the side of Baekhyun’s face. “You kinda look different in this picture.” The suspicion layered in his voice is hard to ignore, but so too is Baekhyun’s unimpressed scowl.

 

“I keep telling him to use a better photo, but he just doesn’t listen,” the latter grumbles softly to himself. Of course this incites the curiosity of Kyungsoo, Jongdae and Seulgi who lean forward to peer at the list in search of potential blackmail material on their friend. What they see causes them to burst out in riotous laughter.

 

“Oh that’s him, alright,” Jongdae chuckles and points at the picture where they can see a drunk Baekhyun cradled to someone’s bare chest. Who, they do not know, but they have a feeling they will find out soon. As his friends of many years, they know of Baekhyun’s weird habit of sleeping with his eyes _slightly_ open, but seeing it in this context cracks them up for some reason.

 

“Yeah, that’s how he looks before waking up on good days,” Kyungsoo supplies. “Quick, make the same face,” he nudges Baekhyun on the arm and snorts when the other actually humours him and makes a face at the guard.

 

“Very funny, guys,” Baekhyun rolls his eyes before turning to the guard. “Look, if you need me to call and verify my identity, I can also do that.” He whips out his phone and dangles it in front of the guard’s face. “But I’m sure Mr Park won’t be happy to hear I was held back at the entrance?” He raises an eyebrow that has them exchanging glances because _who is this Mr Park and how does Baekhyun know him?_

 

“No, there’s no need!” The guard actually looks less intimidating now as he drops his head in a stiff nod and beckons them past the doors quickly. “Sorry for the delay, Mr Byun. I hope you have a pleasant time tonight at the Elyxion with your guests.” Then with a drop of the curtains, Kyungsoo loses sight of the guard and finds himself in a dim but classy-looking hallway with paintings lining both sets of walls.

 

“So you want to tell me who’s Mr Park and why that guard back there almost peed his pants when you threatened to call him?” He asks as Baekhyun steers him further into the establishment. “I didn’t know you’re a regular at a strip club.”

 

The sound of jazzy tunes and the voices of many descend upon them once they enter what Kyungsoo deems is the main part of the club. But instead of a dance floor in the middle, like regular clubs would have, he sees a huge bar right smack in the middle of things and _poles_. Many, many poles sticking out of high tables and even in private booths, extended to the ceiling.

 

There are currently spotlights on two poles to the side of the bar, and Kyungsoo’s jaw drops when he sees the pair of scantily-clad men _drop it like it’s hot_ , for lack of a better phrase. There are both men and women seated at the high tables below the two _stripers? dancers? performers?_ (Kyungsoo doesn’t know what to call them) hooting and screaming in excitement, even some extending their arms and making grabby actions, desperate to touch skin. But it must be an unspoken rule — not to touch or be touched, only to tease intimacy as the pair always retreats up the pole and away from hands right before any contact.

 

“Stop drooling,” Baekhyun pokes him on the side, giving him a teasing smile and ignoring his outburst of denial when he jolts out of his daze. “Come, we have a private booth at the back.”

 

“I’ll catch you guys later, okay? It’s almost time for Joohyun’s set.” A voice says in his ear, and even before Kyungsoo can ask Seulgi who she was referring to, she had already disappeared into the crowd.

 

“Wait, guys! Seulgi went that way,” he hopes his voice can be heard over the noise, but Baekhyun was still pulling him in the other direction of where Seulgi went so he figures not.  

 

“That’s Baekhyun’s Mr Park,” Jongdae tells him then, pointing at the tall man on the left who has finally abandoned his suit jacket, leaving him decked only in multiple cross-body harnesses and a pair of too-tight briefs. “Don’t be fooled to think he’s just a dancer. He’s actually the co-owner of the Elyxion.”

 

 _Co-owner?_ Kyungsoo gulps. He was just wondering what kind of sleazy, cash-rich and old millionaire owns a series of strip clubs but _Chanyeol? He’s the co-owner_? He looks too young and sexy to own a business, and those abs (!!!) … Kyungsoo runs a hand over his tummy and sighs, recognising a lost cause early when he knows it.

 

“Wow, he’s on fire tonight, isn’t he?” Jongdae whistles and looks over at Baekhyun who has not stopped staring at the man ever since they got in. “Yo, control your man before he drops even more of those women’s panties.”

 

 _Your man?_ Kyungsoo looks between his friends. He has a lot of questions.

 

Baekhyun smirks but walks on until he finally stops them in front of a private booth, pushing Kyungsoo down onto the smooth leather. They have a pretty good view of the whole club from here, but apparently not _good enough_ a view of the dancers (Kyungsoo decides to call them _dancers_ to leave them some dignity even though he knows they are essentially strippers) because Baekhyun was cupping his hands over his mouth and yelling out loud the next second.

 

“Chanyeol! Get your pretty ass over here!”

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t even complain when Jongdae squeezes in beside him, shoving him to move in a bit so he has more space, because he was too busy gawking at how the man they were just looking at — Mr Park, or just Chanyeol, he supposes — looks up at Baekhyun’s voice, gives him a bright smile in recognition and leaps over each of the high tables and all outstretched hands to land in their booth. Another dancer takes his previous place almost at once, and soon all the attention on Chanyeol dies down as he starts to dance for only them instead.

 

“Hello, my love. I see you brought your friends again… ‘Sup Jongdude and, _oh_ , who’s the new guy? He’s cute,” Chanyeol says as he wraps one long leg around the pole at their booth and swings himself around, curious eyes not once leaving Kyungsoo’s shocked ones.

 

“This is Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun says, looking almost proud he has rendered his best friend speechless. “I talk about him all the time, remember? He’s my best friend… the one with a kid.”

 

“Ahh… the birthday boy!” Chanyeol comes to an immediate stop on top of Kyungsoo and claps his hands together excitedly. By now, Kyungsoo fears his cheeks are painted in obvious red because he was staring up at the dancer’s bulge, _oh my god._ He averts his eyes shyly and scoots back in the seat a little, ignoring Jongdae and Baekhyun’s sniggers. “Should I give him a lap dance?” Chanyeol looks back over his shoulders at Baekhyun questioningly, but the latter pouts almost immediately.

 

“Do you want to make me jealous?” Baekhyun lifts an eyebrow and pats his thighs. “Besides, he will have his present later. How about you come and give me a lap dance instead?” he asks.

 

And _oh,_ now Kyungsoo gets it. He looks between the pair staring at each other with hungry eyes, the sexual tension between them sharp enough to cut, and he gasps loudly. “Wait, you’re gay and dating a stripper and you didn’t think to tell me — your best friend of twenty-five years??” Kyungsoo blurts out, looking at Baekhyun in disbelief.

 

“Surprise?” The other sing-songs. “It’s not my fault you always decline when I ask you to come with me to the Elyxion. You would have known earlier if you accepted once.” At least his best friend looks sheepish at having kept this secret from him for god knows how long. Well, he always had the feeling Baekhyun prefers men, but Kyungsoo always imagined his ideal type to be someone soft-spoken and gentle, not at all someone like _Chanyeol._ He looks the man up and down and averts his eyes again when they threaten to stray south. “Are you mad?” Baekhyun asks in a softer voice than before.

 

“Not really. I’m just surprised… _pleasantly_ surprised, don’t get me wrong. I’m happy you’re dating,” Kyungsoo looks back at Baekhyun and looks away almost at once when Chanyeol plops himself down to sit on the other’s lap. His best friend lets out a pained grunt and grips onto the dancer’s bare hips to steady him. Their position is far too intimate for others’ eyes, especially at the glint in Chanyeol’s eyes and the way he swivels his hips to rub his bottom half with Baekhyun’s on purpose.

 

Sure enough, Kyungsoo looks up at Jongdae when he stands and steps out of their booth.

 

“Erm, I’m going to grab a drink at the bar before these two start to put on a show,” he says uncomfortably. “Kyungsoo?” The way Jongdae looks at him makes him think his friend has just offered him a lifeline, and Kyungsoo scrambles up at once. No way is he staying alone with Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Jongdae must have had a similar experience like this in the past to guess where this will lead up to.

 

“I think I’ll take you up on your offer, Jongdae,” he rushes out and waves awkwardly at the couple in the booth.

 

“W-Wait, don’t take too long okay, Soo?” Baekhyun gasps and slaps weakly at Chanyeol’s chest to get him to stop moving for a second so he can speak to his friends. “We booked you a private dance at 10pm with the best dancer in this club.”

 

All he can do is give a quick nod and mutter a “Nice to meet you, Chanyeol” before Jongdae drags him away by the arm. Too bad they can’t get away fast enough to not hear Baekhyun letting out a loud moan of the dancer’s name.

 

“I swear to God they do this everytime we visit even though there are plenty of private rooms in the back of the club.” Jongdae shakes his head and finds them two empty seats by the bar, right in front of the bartenders. “You don’t want to know what I saw the last time.” The other shudders and raises his hand to catch the attention of the bartender. “Seungwan,” he yells, “hit the two of us up with the good stuff… it’s my boy’s birthday today.” Kyungsoo forces himself to give a small smile when Jongdae gestures at him.

 

He hasn’t drank alcohol in many years — the last time he did resulted in a one-night stand, but like a blessing in disguise, it gave him Sehun so he does not despise the memory — but Kyungsoo finds he can hold his liquor quite impressively now. They’re on their third glass of _not sure what it is_ (he can’t remember the name Seungwan had told them earlier), but while he is still sitting upright and listening to Jongdae spill on the crush he has on this girl at his workplace, his friend was already slurring in his speech and had his head tucked against his elbow leaning on the bar top.

 

“Can I get another one of this whisky goodness, Seungwan?”

 

“Don’t you think that’s enough?” Kyungsoo winces and grabs Jongdae’s hand to stop him mid-swig. “You’re gonna regret this in the morning.”

 

“But it’s your birthday today, Soo,” Jongdae whines and shrugs his hand off, raising his glass in the air the next second. “Here’s to you! For being a good _daddy—_ ” Kyungsoo chokes on his drink, and like fire, it burns all the way down his throat. He sees the people around them, including Seungwan, staring at them judgingly, and he knows what they must think of their relationship.

 

“I’m a _father_ . He means a good daddy to _my son_ ,” he stresses, trying to clear up whatever weird, lewd thoughts his neighbours might have come up with. He feels he has done more harm than good though at the way they narrow their eyes at him. “Okay, that’s really enough now.” He snatches the glass Jongdae was stubbornly holding onto, and after a short tussle that sees him emerge victorious, he places it far out of his friend’s reach. Not without battle scars though. Kyungsoo ignores Jongdae’s cry of complaint and grimaces at the wet spot on his jeans. _Just great._

 

“Jongdae.” He taps on his friend’s shoulder and leans in to whisper in his ears because somehow the next song playing from the stereos was louder than the last. “I’m going to the washroom, okay? Don’t go anywhere and wait here for me,” Kyungsoo says. But seriously, he might as well not  have said it because he doubts Jongdae is capable of going anywhere in his current state — drunk, half-lying on the bar top and conversing with their half empty bowl of corn puffs.

 

After he gets an incoherent reply from Jongdae and directions to the washroom from Seungwan, Kyungsoo squeezes through the throng of people gathered beneath one of the female dancers on stage and makes his way to one of the hallways leading from the back of the bar. He passes by the private booth they were in with Baekhyun and Chanyeol a little earlier and he sees the couple is no longer there. Kyungsoo makes a face. He rather not think about what happened to them and where they are now. The state he and Jongdae had left them in earlier left little room for imagination.

 

Kyungsoo supposes there are better ways to spend his birthday than looking after his drunk friends in a strip club, but he must admit they were right — it does feel nice to be out and not thinking of only work, household chores and taking care of Sehun. Juggling the three daily was the only routine he knew, and it was honestly tiring. Now that he has a night of respite, he feels he finally has time and some freedom to think for himself.

 

Speaking of his son, his phone tucked in the back pocket of his jeans starts to vibrate, indicating an incoming call. Kyungsoo actually has some trouble retrieving his phone because the pair of jeans Baekhyun gave him were _that_ tight, but he manages in the end and swipes right.

 

“Hello, mom?” The background noise in the club was too loud and distracting, Kyungsoo can barely make out Sehun’s voice calling out to him, so he walks further down the hallway but stops a distance away from the washroom for there was a small group waiting for their turn. There are doors to his left and right, perhaps offices or private rooms, and Kyungsoo decides to slip into a random one temporarily to take his son’s call.

 

He doesn’t notice he’s not alone.

 

“Sehun?” he says in a soft voice, back leaning against the closed door and both hands cupped around his phone, holding it up to his ear. “Can you hear me now?”

 

“Daddy!” The boy’s scream was so loud he has to pull his phone away from his ear slightly.

 

“What’s wrong, honey?” He takes a quick look at his watch and frowns. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping at this timing? Where’s grandmama?”

 

“I’m here,” it is his mother who answers. Kyungsoo figures he must be on speaker on their end of the line, so he pulls his phone away from his ear and puts it on speaker mode too. “I’m putting Sehun to bed right now but the baby says he misses you so he wanted to call you before going to sleep.”

 

“Where are you, daddy? You no come home?”

 

“Not yet, honey,” Kyungsoo says gently. “I’m with Uncle Baekkie and Uncle Jongdae. Go to sleep now, okay? I’ll be there when you wake up in the morning.” He hears a soft yawn on the other line and smiles at the thought of Sehun being tucked in to bed.

 

“Okay, daddy,” the boy says. He hears some hushed whispers in the background before Sehun adds, “Happy birthday, daddy. Hunnie loves you.” Kyungsoo can feel his heart melting and he knows there is a giant smile on his face. Now he really can’t wait to see his son in the morning.

 

“I love you too, Hunnie. Very, very much.”  

 

“Happy birthday, son,” his mother says before she hangs up.

 

Kyungsoo feels giddy and it’s not because of the alcohol in his body. But when he turns around, he almost leaps a foot in the air when he notices a man lying on a bed in the corner of the room _staring_ at him. Too bad for his phone though, because he throws it in his shocked state and it slides towards the man on the bed. _Crap._

 

For a second, he wonders if he should dash over, retrieve his phone fast enough and leave without acknowledging the stranger. It would be quick — he and Sehun had watched enough cartoons, it should be sufficient for him to learn the ninja ways. But then he recalls his clumsy nature and how he always comes in last place at sports day when he was still schooling, and he gives up the thought at once.

 

He probably has a higher chance of tripping and falling face flat on the bed.

 

“Hello,” the other smirks. The sudden voice makes him jump.

 

“W-Who are you and what are you doing here? God, have you been listening to the conversation this whole time?” Kyungsoo stammers. He takes a step back when the stranger rises from the bed and stalks towards him, slowly, just like a predator approaching his prey, he thinks. The look in the other’s eyes and the ever-present smirk supports his thought.

 

“I should be asking you that question. Afterall, you’re in _my_ office.”

 

Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows at the mention of _office_ , tempted to ask then why does he have a bed here, but he next notices the pole in the middle of the room, much like the other ones the dancers are using back in the club, and he gets it. This guy must be a _‘dancer’_ too, like Chanyeol.

 

Now that he has somewhat gotten over his shock, Kyungsoo dares a closer look and notices the other is barefooted and dressed in nothing but a red suit jacket and matching pants. _Not even a shirt on the inside!_ The outfit seems familiar to him, but he can’t place it at the moment. The stranger is really attractive, he must say, and there’s a certain sexy aura to the man that almost makes him want to submit.  

 

“Well, you’ve hit the jackpot if you’re planning to stay.” The other’s voice, suddenly too close to his ear, breaks him out of his reverie. “Sit down. I was just about to practise a new routine when you walked in.” Kyungsoo doesn’t protest when the dancer draws a chair out of nowhere and forces him to sit down. “I can use some feedback— _wait_ , are you even listening, pretty boy?”

 

_Pretty boy?!_

 

Kyungsoo snaps his head up and gulps when he locks eyes with the smirking man. He looks away at once, guilty of having been caught staring at the man’s abs and happy trail from up close. _Oh my god, how embarrassing!_ He’s truly a fish out of water in such circumstances.

 

“I should leave,” he whispers and tries to get up, his pants feeling a little tighter than before, but a firm hand on his shoulder and a gentle squeeze makes him think twice.

 

“Awww, come on… just think of it as your birthday gift from me, alright? I don’t dance in front of others often, so count yourself lucky,” the other says while stripping off his suit jacket and throwing it on Kyungsoo’s lap, not an ounce of shyness in him despite being half-naked in the presence of a stranger. _Dammit… he did hear the phone call earlier._ “Are you in a rush to be somewhere?”

 

Kyungsoo freezes. _Well…_ not really, especially if there’s a really attractive stripper ( _dancer)_ asking to perform a routine on him. Jongdae can wait a little longer for him to return, right? Besides, the other is right. It’s his birthday today. He thinks he can afford to make rash decisions just this once.

 

Kyungsoo clears his throat and looks down shyly. He doesn’t know what gives him the courage to say “I suppose I can stay for awhile.” Perhaps it is the way the other looks at him — like he really wants Kyungsoo here. “But I’m not sure if I qualify to give you feedback,” he admits.

 

“Nonsense,” the other brushes off his worries at once and leans his face in towards Kyungsoo’s. He prides himself in not flinching and moving backwards. “I’m not looking for verbal validation. The way your body reacts to me should tell me plenty, pretty boy.” The dancer winks and walks behind him.

 

 _The way your body reacts to me…_ He lets out a soft gasp in understanding.

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t know if he’s allowed to look back so he resists, but he startles when soft R&B starts to play from the room’s sound system.

 

“My name’s Kai.” He gasps when a hand trails down the length of his jaw before strong fingers tilt his head up so he stares right up into the stranger’s — Kai’s — alluring eyes. “Thought you should know before we get started,” the other says.

 

Then Kai smirks, and Kyungsoo was a goner.

 

=

 

It starts with a fire in his gut, before the lust slowly spreads to his every inch. His groin is not spared, and Kyungsoo just knows Kai can see the tent in the front of his pants while he twirls around the pole, strong arms holding his body up as his legs fan out to form a V-shape. He’s been up there for quite some time now, and Kyungsoo is both impressed at his strength and desperate for he remains out of touch.

 

That’s the thing that surprises him — he _desires_ to touch Kai.

 

The dancer had rid himself of his pants not one minute into the routine, and since then, Kyungsoo has not been able to stop staring at his thick thighs, taut butt and even more impressive bulge. Has it been said already that Kai is a very attractive man?

 

“Pretty boy,” the dancer croons and hopes off the pole, strutting towards him slowly, _sensually_. “Do you want to touch me?” he asks. Kyungsoo gulps when the dancer nudges his legs open and fits himself into the space between, crowding closer to his body. A lot of thoughts are running through his mind in that moment, and _none_ can be considered somewhat decent.

 

It’s what happens when one goes sex-deprived for so long and suddenly lands himself in the presence of a literal _sex god_. Kyungsoo thinks he’s about to short-circuit. Suddenly, he can’t remember any of his past dates.

 

“I think you do… I see the thirst in your eyes.”

 

Kyungsoo wonders if this is really part of the dancer’s routine because half-way through he gets the feeling it isn’t. Surely this can’t be scripted — the way Kai accommodates to his reaction to every thrust of his hips and every flash of more skin, and the way he seems to let his body decide where to take them next.

 

Kai turns around so Kyungsoo gets a sudden full view of the other’s strong back, but before he knows it, Kai _drops_ and hovers an inch off his clothed dick. It’s torturous the way the other teases — swiveling his hips and only occasionally dipping down even lower so they rub against each other.

 

Is this what goes in strip clubs every day? Because if it is, Kyungsoo’s all for saying _yes_ whenever Baekhyun asks him along now.

 

“Kai…” he cannot hold in his moans anymore. “Please, touch me… please,” he begs. The dancer stiffens a little at the call of his name, for some reason, but the pause soon passes and he turns around to give Kyungsoo a hungry stare.

 

“Are you sure you want me to touch you?”

 

A break in the music makes its timely entrance — it’s a chance for Kyungsoo to take back his words, to rationalise and ask himself if he really wants this. He knows what he feels about one-night stands, and he knows they are usually mistakes. Kyungsoo bites down on his lower lip and look up at Kai.

 

Is he his next mistake?

 

He doesn’t know, but he decides to throw caution to the wind.

 

They both know his answer even before he verbalises it and the vocals in the song kicks back in. “Yes,” he breathes out, seemingly taking away Kai’s breath with him. Kyungsoo reaches out a tentative hand and wraps his fingers around the other’s wrist, tugging him forward towards him again. “I want you, please.”

 

“How do you want me?” Kai growls and stretches a leg up, propping it on one of Kyungsoo’s shoulder. When the other bends his legs, the movement brings his crotch even closer to Kyungsoo’s face, but the latter does not back down one bit.

 

“I want all of you,” he whimpers.

 

“And you shall have all of me.” Kai thrusts forward once, his crotch making brief contact with Kyungsoo’s lips, before he slips his leg off and hauls Kyungsoo up by his shirt collars. The latter tries to stay still as Kai takes his time unbuttoning his dress shirt, but it’s hard. The second his shirt flutters to a pile on the floor, Kyungsoo leaps and Kai catches him like he knew he would. There’s something about being held in this position that makes him satisfied, he can’t explain it.

 

“I must say I don’t usually do this,” Kai says as he hovers above Kyungsoo on the bed. “I don’t usually sleep around with people in the club.” He looks down at him fondly.

 

“I haven’t had sex in two years,” Kyungsoo blurts out nervously, immediately regretting it and hiding his face behind his hands as he whines. The other’s laughter is like music to his ears though, and he looks up through his fingers, face breaking into a smile that matches Kai’s. “I’m sorry I’m so awkward. I can leave if you want me to. I’m not usually this desperate for sex.”

 

“You’re cute,” Kai corrects and leans in. “Can I kiss you?” he whispers, breath hot against Kyungsoo’s lips.

 

“Depends…” he replies, holding the other’s stare, even though he desperately wants to crane his neck up and slot their lips together. “Am I still part of your routine or is this something more?”   

 

Kyungsoo gets his answer in the form of sweet lips surging forward to meet his in a battle for dominance, although he gives up pretty easily later on as he lets Kai have his way with him. Every thrust the other gives him, he replies with an equally passionate moan. Every bite the other leaves on him, he replies with plenty of his own.

 

And when they both finally unravel, Kyungsoo smiles, happy at how his night has turned out to be.

 

“Happy birthday, pretty boy,” Kai grunts as he spills into him.

 

_Happy birthday to me, indeed._

 

=

 

“So… is this the right time to tell you I’m not really the stripper you think I am?” Kai asks with a sheepish smile on his face.

 

“You what?” Kyungsoo peels an eye open lazily to stare at the other. He’s too tired to offer a bigger reaction than that, afterall, they had only just finished up two rounds of mind-blowing sex and he’s already on the verge of sleep. They were currently cuddling in bed, still naked, but neither seemed to mind the nudity. It was a pleasant surprise when Kai had offered to cuddle post-coitus. He hadn’t pegged him as the type.

 

“I’m not actually a stripper,” Kai repeats. “I mean, I don’t perform in the club even though I do have a dance degree from college. I specialise in more contemporary and ballet if you can believe it?”

 

“Then why are you here?” Kyungsoo yawns, paying no mind at the way Kai smiles and gently sweeps his matted fringe off his forehead. It’s an action others would think too intimate for two strangers who had just met and had sex, but the moment comes and goes, and they don’t bring it up.

 

“To keep an eye on operations? I own the Elyxion with my business partner.”

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes fly open at that and he blinks up at Kai. “So you’re the other co-owner with Chanyeol,” he points out.  

 

“How do you know Chanyeol?”

 

“I met him for the first time today. Turns out he’s dating my best friend.”

 

“Wait— Baekhyun?”

 

“You know Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows.

 

“Chanyeol can’t seem to shut up about him. I know Baekhyun alright… met him a couple of times too when he’s here, when he’s not in Chanyeol’s room fucking that is. I swear they were rabbits in their past lives.”

 

Kyungsoo makes a face and Kai laughs.

 

“We were just fucking too so what’s with the reaction?”

 

“I hate that you put Baekhyun and the words _rabbit_ and _fucking_ in the same sentence.” Kyungsoo shudders and buries his face in Kai’s chest. “But what a small world huh?” He hums in delight when Kai wraps his arms around his shoulders and pulls him in even closer. “How did you and Chanyeol come to open a strip club? You look quite young to be managing such a successful business.”  

 

“I’m not that young,” Kai snorts. “I’ll have you know I’m 28 this year.”

 

“Oh, I’m a year older than you.”

 

“No!” Kyungsoo stares amusedly at Kai when he hears his disbelief. “You can’t be 29. Not with your face,” Kai says.

 

“I have a five-year old son,” he deadpans.

 

“Point taken. You have a baby face then.”

 

“Aren’t you curious about my son’s mother?” Kyungsoo asks after pregnant pause.

 

“Not really. I figured she’s out of the picture if you’re here on your birthday and your mother is watching over your son for you.”

 

Kyungsoo sighs. “You’re right. It was a drunk hookup in college and she left me with Sehun only a couple of days after he was born. I was still young, but I just couldn’t bring myself to give him up for adoption, you know?”

 

“If anything, I think you’re a great father,” Kai gives him a squeeze. “I overheard enough of your conversation with your son earlier to know he adores you very much.” Kyungsoo smiles at the thought of Sehun. “He’s lucky to have you.”

 

At this, he senses a little bitterness from Kai and he looks up at the other questioningly. “Are you okay?” he asks.

 

“I can’t say I have the best relationship with my father or family,” Kai sighs. “Growing up, I always only had my mother. My father was the absent one in our family, and no matter how much I asked her about him, she didn’t or couldn’t share much at all. Turns out he had a family of his own, that’s why,” he scoffs. “After my mother passed away when I was in Middle School, he brought me to stay with his family, and I hated every single day in that household. Upped and left as soon as I turned of legal age. They were all horrible, conceited people — his wife, his children and even the extended family.”

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t know what else he can do to help except be Kai’s listening ear as the latter vents his frustrations.

 

“I used the pity money he gave me for my mother’s death to start this business with Chanyeol,” Kai says. “He was the only friend I had in school, and till this day, he remains the only friend I trust. We’re practically brothers.”  

 

“Must be good to be your own boss then. Unlike me, you won’t have to suffer office politics and work yourself to the bone, only for senior management to overlook your hard work,” he sighs and closes his eyes. Kai smells good, and it’s not their post-sex smell. Kyungsoo snuggles closer.

 

“I don’t know…” Kai sounds unsure. “Just look at my father. He runs a big company but he barely has time for his family, all he cares about is eliminating competition, getting monopoly and reaping in profits for him and his old friends on the board. I wouldn’t want to be him for sure. I’m contented running my strip clubs,” he chuckles.

 

The only response he gets from Kyungsoo is the beginning of a gentle snore. Kai smiles to himself and traces a finger over the other’s features. _He still looks attractive asleep_ , he thinks. It’s true he hasn’t met anyone quite like Kyungsoo, perhaps that’s why their forces of attraction had led them to sleep with each other on the first meeting.

 

Kai doesn’t regret anything about tonight. He only hopes when Kyungsoo wakes up in the morning that the other doesn’t too.

 

=

 

“Ughhh….”

 

Kyungsoo wakes up to not only a very sore butt but also the happiest and warmest his heart has felt in some time. _It’s not love_ , he hurries to tell himself. Because that’s how he is — he’s the type to fall fast. And last night, everything about the way Kai had treated him was the devil’s temptation. He doesn’t even know if the other was merely in character last night or if he was genuine in treating him. The cuddling episode definitely throws him off.

 

But speaking of Kai…

 

There’s something not quite right in the air, and sure enough, when he peels open his eyes and twists around on the vast bed, he sees the man is gone. Kyungsoo sits up at once, a little too quick for comfort, and he winces as the alcohol in his blood from last night hits him like a wave. He’s still bare as the day he was born, the blankets pooling around his waist messily to cover up whatever dignity he has left of the morning after.

 

Kai left before he woke up. That to him says everything of what the other thought of their hook-up, and Kyungsoo can’t help but feel disappointed. He had thought there was something between them — if not a tiny flame, at least a spark that could eventually have led to a fire igniting. But alas, Kai’s absence was like a clear indication for him to see himself out.

 

He hugs his arms around himself and lets out a sigh, feeling shameful and smaller than he ever felt. _Used_ is the word Kyungsoo doesn’t want to acknowledge.

 

There are no windows in the room so he can’t tell the hour from the intensity of the Sun, but he fears he has overslept. _Sehun!_ The promise he had made to his son to come pick him up first thing in the morning pops up in his head suddenly. “Time, time… what time is it?” he mutters to himself and scans the room for his phone. Last he recalled, he had thrown his phone on the floor at the shock of seeing Kai.

 

_The floor!_

 

Kyungsoo gathers the blankets, grip tight despite there being no one in the room to take in his nudity, and crawls to the edge of the bed. _It should be right over there— wait, oh…_ He stills when he spots the pile of neatly folded up clothes left on a small stool beside the bed. It’s definitely the outfit he was wearing last night. Looking at the pair of skintight jeans again makes him blush — he remembers vaguely it was so hard to get off, Kai had to peel it off him (not that he didn’t get any pleasure out of doing so though).

 

 _At least it was a nice gesture for Kai to pick up my clothes_ , he thinks. They were probably strewn across the floor messily. His heart weighs heavy at the thought of the other man’s consideration for him, but mostly for the fact that he had eventually left anyways so the nice gesture meant next to nothing.

 

“Crap.” He sees the time when he turns on his phone and lets out a groan. Indeed, it was closer to noon than dawn, which means Sehun is probably already up and panicking as to why he isn’t there to pick him up.

 

Sure enough, he sees a couple of missed calls from his mother’s number, some even going back to as early as 7-ish. But the sight of another notification — a message from an unknown number — stops him before he can dial home.

 

“It can’t be…” he murmurs, clicking on the message to see it in full. Suddenly, it’s as if all the air in his lungs get wiped out upon the realisation that the sender is indeed Kai.

  


**[010-2019-1214 sent you a message at 08:42]**

Good morning, pretty boy

I’m so sorry I had to leave… would have loved to stay and cuddle with you (づ￣ ³￣)づ

Family drama smh

And on a Saturday morning too! Wth (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

…

Btw, this is Kai

…

In case it wasn’t obvious enough who I am ｡◕‿‿◕｡

  


**[010-2019-1214 sent you a message at 10:21]**

Kyungsoo, you didn’t reply (ಥ﹏ಥ)

Are you still sleeping? Hehe

You looked cute sleeping in my bed

Wait

Not that i was staring like a creep or anything

…

You’re not ignoring me right? Did you regret last night?

  


Kyungsoo bites down on his bottom lip to keep his smile at bay. He can’t recall how the other came to know his name, but he doesn’t care… _because it wasn’t like what he thought at all!_ Kai _wanted_ to stay for him. He sees no reason why the other would go to the extent of leaving him multiple messages if he didn’t want to stay in contact after their hook-up. This means last night meant something for the both of them, right? The way Kai asked him if he had regrets… It almost sounds as if the other was worried.

 

“What should I say?” he mutters to himself, thumbs hovering above the keypad in nervousness and with uncertainty. He doesn’t want to sound too enthusiastic in a way it makes him look desperate, yet he also doesn’t want to come off sounding too distant, as if he didn’t care. In the end, he settles for the midway.

  


**[You sent a message to 010-2019-1214 at 11:48]**

Morning

I just woke up, sorry

By the way, you type really different from how you speak

I’m surprised

  


The reply was almost instantaneous, and Kyungsoo can’t help but wonder if Kai had been waiting readily by his phone for him to text. He smiles.

  


**[010-2019-1214 sent you a message at 11:48]**

Oh great you don’t hate me!

And what’s wrong with the way I type?

(；一_一)

  


**[You sent a message to 010-2019-1214 at 11:49]**

There’s nothing wrong with the way you type!

It was merely an observation

I just didn’t peg you for the type to use emoticons last night

  


Kyungsoo chews on his bottom lip nervously, hoping Kai would reply him. He didn’t mean to make the other upset! Hopefully he hasn’t gone and blew his chances of meeting the other again.

 

The seconds that tick by without a reply from Kai were torturous. Eventually, Kyungsoo sighs and puts down his phone to get changed into his clothes from last night. He’s almost impressed with the speed at which he leaps to get his phone the second the screen lights up to indicate a new message some minutes later.

  


**[010-2019-1214 sent you a message at 11:54]**

Speaking of last night (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

I really hope this doesn’t come off sounding weird, but I really enjoyed everything about last night

Is there any chance we can meet again?

  


Everything? _Of course!!!_ Kyungsoo wants to keyboard smash, but he decides to play cool for the moment.

  


**[You sent a message to 010-2019-1214 at 11:55]**

I would really like that

☺

 

**[010-2019-1214 sent you a message at 11:55]**

Wow, I got a smiley face out of you

Erm…

I would love to talk more, but my father is back so I’ve got to go

Pls save my number ◕‿↼

I’ll talk to you later

Bye! ❤

  


Kyungsoo hugs his phone to his chest and flops down onto Kai’s bed again, squealing at a volume that would put a highschool girl experiencing her first love to shame. He contemplates replying with a heart of his own, because that’s exactly how he feels right now — heart full of joy and love, but he doesn’t press send in the end.

 

Instead, he saves Kai’s number (and might have gone overboard with the amount of hearts he places by his name).

 

=

 

“What’s got his panties in a bunch now?” Baekhyun asks.

 

Kyungsoo looks up from his plate of donkatsu and stares in the direction of his best friend’s gaze. There across the canteen from them was an angry-looking Junmyeon sitting alone by the windows and yelling into his phone, unoccupied seats fanning around him in a clear five metre radius since no one dares to approach him in this mood.

 

“I thought you said he got the lakeside project?” Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo and asks. “I wonder what made him so mad. Usually, he’ll be walking around the office looking all smug and gloating to everyone who bothers to land him a ear,” he scoffs.

 

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Kyungsoo says grumpily, losing interest in their curiosity at once. It’s true Junmyeon was awarded the lakeside account just this morning — the news was what had put him into a bad mood himself and that’s why he’s here stuffing pork cutlets into his mouth sulkily. Because how in the world is Junmyeon’s proposal better than his? It’s unthinkable.

 

He would hate to think it is Junmyeon’s ties with members of the board that got him the go-ahead, but surely there is no other explanation? How many times has it been that he has worked his butt off only for it all to be abortive work in the end because others are shown plain favouritism? He doesn’t know how long more he can tolerate the current management.

 

“Well, the word from Yerim is that old man Kim called in the whole village to talk succession plans last Saturday,” Seulgi says before slurping loudly on her drink. “Maybe Junmyeon didn’t like what he heard.” She wags her eyebrows and looks off in his direction again.

 

“You mean we’ll be getting a new CEO soon?” Baekhyun asks, sounding a little _too_ excited. “Hey Soo.” Kyungsoo gets a nudge at his side and he looks away from his phone.

 

“What?” he scowls.

 

His best friend doesn’t even bat an eyelash at the death glare he sends over for disturbing him; too used to it. “Do you think we’ll get a new CEO?” Baekhyun reaches over with a fork to pick at a piece of his donkatsu, and he succeeds because Kyungsoo is one second too late to fend off the theft. Another death glare. “It’s about time right? _Hey—_ what if we get a board reshuffle too? That will certainly liven things up in the company! Any change is good change for me at this point. Do you think I should put in a request for a raise?”

 

Seulgi gasps at a sudden thought and leans closer to Baekhyun at once. “What if we were right and the old man announces his illegitimate son as the new CEO? Do you want to place bets? I give $50! Maybe they’ll make the announcement at the workplan retreat next week!”

 

“I bet $100 that that son will be the new CEO _plus_ he’ll demote Junmyeon and Minseok the first chance he gets!”

 

Kyungsoo scoffs. Sounds like Baekhyun had ripped off the narrative from some korean drama. He leaves them to their speculations and picks up his phone, just in time for it buzzes at once. It’s an incoming message, and he can’t help the smile that grows on his face when he sees the sender. _It’s Kai!_ Thankfully, neither of his friends have yet to notice his somewhat unusual behaviour, but Kyungsoo gathers himself and puts on a straight face just in case.

 

They’ve been messaging each other throughout the weekend, and it’s quite safe to say now that he is completely enamoured by Kai. But that is not to say the other doesn’t feel the same way for him too, judging from his choice of words whenever he replies Kyungsoo. If only he managed to find a suitable babysitter for Sehun and Kai didn’t have family commitments, he’s certain they would have met up again after their night together — twice in the same number of days. It’s almost impressive. Quick progress, especially from what started out as a chance encounter.

  


**[** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **sent you a message at 12:42]**

Soo-yah… what are you doing?

I’m bored

Entertain me

(ʘ‿ʘ)

  


**[You sent a message to** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **at 12:43]**

I’m at work, but it’s lunch break now…

Why are you bored? Shouldn’t you be at work too?

  


**[** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **sent you a message at 12:43]**

The club doesn’t open until much later

But let’s not mention the club now… my heart aches just thinking about it

  


Kyungsoo furrows his eyebrows. He wants to ask why, but he decides against it ultimately since it goes against Kai’s wishes.

  


**[** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **sent you a message at 12:44]**

What time do you end work today?

Can I see you?

[ _click to download attachment_ — selfie.jpg]

  


It’s a close-up photo of Kai giving him the puppy eyes. Kyungsoo wants to combust on the spot. Clicking on the photo was a bad decision because now he wants to save it and set it as his wallpaper. It falls just short of dethroning a photo of Sehun dressed in a onesie and sat on top of his shoulders, both father and son with equally wide smiles — it’s been his wallpaper for the longest time.

 

He braves another look at the photo and lets slip a whine at Kai’s pout. _Just_ short, he has to remind himself.

 

(He still saves it as the other’s profile photo though.)

  


**[** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **sent you a message at 12:44]**

I look good right

Send me a photo of you too!

◕‿↼

  


_Is this considered flirting_ , Kyungsoo wonders. He hasn’t done flirting in a long time so he doesn’t know what to do.

  


**[You sent a message to** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **at 12:45]**

Yasssssssssss

  


_Oh my god, no!_ Kyungsoo regrets the second he accidentally presses the send button. He hadn’t meant to send that! He blames his fat fingers. But before he can retract the message, Kai replies him.

  


**[** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **sent you a message at 12:45]**

Awww… I’m flattered at your reaction, Soo

Here’s another one

For your eyes only (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[ _click to download attachment_ — selfie2.jpg]

  


He should have read that sly face emoticon as a warning. “Fuck…” he breathes out softly, locks his phone and put it away in his pockets at once. It wasn’t even a photo of Kai’s face. Instead, it was pure defined abs taken at an angle low enough he swears he can the start of the other’s happy trail. Maybe Kai did it on purpose, knowing that it would drive him crazy.

 

 _That_ ~~_confident_ ~~ _narcissistic bastard._

 

Kyungsoo realises it’s a little too quiet around him a second too late.

 

“OH MY GOD, KYUNGSOO IS TEXTING A SEX GOD!” Baekhyun exclaims, but at the volume he uses, he might as well have been announcing it to the entire floor. His face reddens at once and he ducks down, away from the curious stares sent his way. _Oh my god, kill me now…_

 

“What! Who, who, who…? Let me see!” Seulgi leaps up from her seat and comes around to hover behind them as Kyungsoo tries to bodily fend off Baekhyun’s hand reaching for his phone in his pockets.  

 

“What the hell, Baek. Stop it!” Kyungsoo socks his best friend in the gut, temporarily enjoying the look of Baekhyun’s grimace, before he swipes weakly at Seulgi. “Go sit down, _please!_ Or I swear to god I will kill you two! Everyone’s looking now.”  

 

This is it. He will send in his resignation letter first thing in the morning tomorrow. Reason for resignation: embarrassed to death in front of co-workers.

 

“Tell me who he is now!” Baekhyun demands, finally sitting properly in his seat again. “Is he the guy you ditched me in the club for? Did he wrap a ribbon around his dick and sing you the birthday song as he fucked you? Can’t believe you passed on the private show we booked for you with one of the club’s best strippers. Are you and birthday dick seeing each other now?”

 

 _Hold up._ “Wait, ditched you?” Kyungsoo turns on the other with an incredulous look. “I ditched _you_ ?? It was my birthday and both my friends left me. I can only count on Jongdae now.” He sends both Baekhyun and Seulgi a reproachful look. “Also, who was the one who got a boyfriend and didn’t even bother to tell me — _your best friend_!?”

 

“I’m sorry, okay?” At least Baekhyun looks sincere in his apology. “I wanted to tell you only when our relationship was more steady, and then you got so busy with preparing for the new project, I just couldn’t find the right time.” Kyungsoo holds his best friend’s gaze for awhile before a gentle smile appears on his face.

 

“At least I know now,” he concedes softly. There was never really a need for the other to apologise, and he knows this. “You two look like you couldn’t take your hands off of each other last Friday.” Kyungsoo wriggles his eyebrows to tease.

 

“He makes me very happy,” Baekhyun admits.

 

“Well then, I’m happy for you. Maybe you can properly introduce Chanyeol to me another day?”

 

“Of course. I would like nothing better.”

 

“So who’s the sex god?” Seulgi interrupts their sweet moment with her blunt question and looks expectantly at Kyungsoo. _Dammit._ Trust her to not let up on this. Kyungsoo had been almost certain his friends have forgotten about what had sparked off this entire conversation on love interests with his steering of the focus to Baekhyun and Chanyeol, but _nope._ He sighs.

 

“Did you really meet someone last Friday?” Baekhyun asks.

 

“... Yes?” He looks down at his plate shyly.

 

“Did you two have sex?”

 

“Seulgi!” Kyungsoo yelps.

 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Baekhyun tells the said girl after studying his reaction.

 

“Look… it’s just a guy I met at the Elyxion, okay? I think you might even know him.” Kyungsoo eyes his best friend. “His name is Kai. He said he was friends with Chan—”

 

“Wait— _Kai?!_ That man is sex on legs and rich as fuck… how the hell did you manage to bag him?” Baekhyun gasps. “My, oh, my…” Kyungsoo gulps when his best friend gives him a sudden sweeping glance up and down his body. “My boy, Soo, with the big booty finally landed someone good huh? I wish you two every happiness.”

 

“We’re not together, Baek.” _At least, not yet?_ He can wish for a little more optimism right?

 

“Why not?!” comes the collective yell from Baekhyun and Seulgi.

 

“Well…” To be honest, Kyungsoo doesn’t quite have the answer to that yet. He’s still trying to figure it out himself. “I don’t know… he might not like me that way?” Baekhyun straight up rolls his eyes at his comment.

 

“Soo, if you two have been texting all weekend and he’s even flirting with you over the phone, the guy is into you, okay?”

 

“Are you sure?” Kyungsoo nibbles on his bottom lip.

 

“Yes!” Baekhyun throws his hands in the air in exasperation. “Look, I’ve met Kai a couple of times, and Chanyeol has also spoken about him plenty. I know he’s a good guy, so if he’s interested in you and you are interested in him too… don’t let this slip, okay?”

 

“Baek is right,” Seulgi chimes in. “We want you to be happy, Soo. If you really like him, just go for it.” She sends him an encouraging smile.

 

“I _do_ like him,” Kyungsoo admits eventually. “But I don’t know what to do now.”

 

“How about you flirt with him first then smoothly ask him out?”

 

Baekhyun snorts at Seulgi’s suggestion, and Kyungsoo can’t say he’s not offended by his best friend’s reaction. “Soo flirting?” the other chuckles, “he can’t flirt to save his life!” He scowls and gives Baekhyun a dirty look. He’s quite sure he _can_ flirt, if someone teaches him how to and he gets a couple of practices in, that is. “I say you send him a dick pic back!”

 

“What do you mean _back_? Kai didn’t send me a dick pic!”

 

“He might as well have!” Baekhyun retorts. “Just an inch or two lower and we’ll be able to see the outline of his dick in his pants.” He’s referring to the last photo Kai had sent him, Kyungsoo realises. _Crap!_ He wonders how much of their conversation had his best friend seen.

 

“I’m not sending him a dick pic,” he puts the idea to rest.

 

Well, maybe not _yet._

 

 _Do dick pics constitute flirting?_ he ponders. Baekhyun seems to think highly of dick pics. Kyungsoo eventually decides to file it away for future reference.

 

=

 

It’s on a Saturday morning again that he sees him — Kai. One week later, to be precise. But not at a place and time he would ever expect.

 

“Kai?” Kyungsoo blinks and gives a double-take when _indeed_ he sees the other popping his head up and over the hedge of bushes. “Are you stalking me?” he says bluntly.

 

“No! Of course not… what do you take me for?” Kai snorts and jerks his thumb in the direction of his neighbour’s house. “I live here.” The other even has the decency to look smug, as if he had known all along that they were neighbours and he was now just relishing in Kyungsoo’s shock.

 

“You live here?” he asks in disbelief. “Since when??” Kyungsoo’s raised voice startles Sehun who was crouched in front of him, putting on his shoes by himself on the porch (because _I’m a big boy now, daddy, I can put on my own shoes!_ ), and the boy promptly falls on his butt. For a second, Sehun looks as if he could burst into tears at any moment — it activates Kyungsoo’s panic button at once.

 

“Oh my god! Are you okay, baby?” He picks his son up at once and pats down his butt. “Daddy’s sorry…” Sehun’s face evens out into a small smile when he kisses him on the cheeks. “Are you hurt?”

 

The boy shakes his head and yells excitedly the next second, “Look, daddy! Vivi’s friends!” Kyungsoo barely registers a worried-looking Kai jogging up the short path in his garden before there are three hyperactive dogs jumping up and pawing at his jeans. “Down, daddy!” Sehun demands. “Hunnie wanna play with puppies.”

 

“I’m sorry!” Kai pants out an apology and tugs on the dogs’ leashes at once to get them off Kyungsoo. It’s useless though — the three toy poodles can barely stay still, but at least they now return to Kai’s side. “Is he okay?” the other asks, referring to Sehun’s earlier fall.

 

“Who is this, daddy?” The boy looks between them with a curious expression.

 

“This is Kai, _erm_ he’s my…”

 

 _What exactly are they?_ Kyungsoo glances over at Kai who remains silent, offering no help at all, and bops Sehun’s nose. Apparently, they’re not so sure themselves. “He’s my friend. Quick, say hi!”

 

Sehun stares at Kai for another second or two before he folds his body into a bow.

 

“Hello, Kai ahjusshi.”

 

Kai blinks for a second, as if to let the greeting register in his mind, before he frowns. “I’m not an ahjusshi!” he insists. Sehun gives him a look that has Kyungsoo stifling a laugh before the boy taps on his face.

 

“Down, daddy.”

 

“He’s fine,” Kyungsoo tells a pouting Kai, setting the boy down as requested. He then watches worriedly as Sehun approaches the puppies.

 

“Don’t worry, they don’t bite,” the other reassures him after studying his face. “I promise.”

 

“I’m not worried for my son, I’m worried for your dogs.” Sure enough, Sehun lets out a high-pitched shriek and throws himself at the three puppies the next second, short arms trying to wrap themselves around as many wriggling balls of fur as he can.

 

Kyungsoo smiles at the sight and glances up at Kai, only to freeze at the look he is given. It’s unreadable — the other’s gaze — but he dare says there is a hint of fondness in the twinkle in his eyes?

 

“What are you looking at?” he asks. “Is there something on my face?” He starts feeling around with his fingers at once, but Kai reaches out a hand to stop him and personally helps tidy his fringe. It’s certainly a heart-fluttering moment that has him blushing to his roots.

 

“Nothing.” Kai takes a step back eventually. “I just like looking at you.”

 

The statement, and the way the other had said it — so casually, draws blushes from both Kyungsoo and Kai, and he wonders if the latter had meant to say it out loud in the first place. There have been many instances when they were texting each other over the past week when Kyungsoo had felt that Kai reciprocates his feelings. It’s just that neither of them have had the courage so far to blatantly spell it out; to put a label to them.

 

“Daddy and Kai ahjusshi, can we go to the park now?” Sehun’s voice breaks the obvious tension between them, and they both take a step away from each other and break eye contact. Kyungsoo walks up to his son, while Kai clears his throat and trails after him. It’s highly awkward, and he just knows they’re both acting like one would in front of a high school crush. If Baekhyun were here, he would take so much pleasure in laughing at their expense.

 

“I was actually on the way to the park with my puppies.” It is Kai who first speaks. “We can all go together?” The other looks at Kyungsoo expectantly, and a bright smile practically blooms on his face when Kyungsoo nods. As if he would say no.

 

“Let’s go, Sehun,” he reaches out his hand for the boy to hold.

 

The walk to the neighbourhood park is short and rather uneventful, except for when Sehun had demanded to hold all the leashes of Kai’s dogs only for both adults to straight up deny him since there was simply no way he had enough strength to manage them. The boy was on the verge of a tantrum, but they had eventually compromised and allowed him to hold onto Jangah’s leash — _arguably the most well-behaved out of the three_ , Kai had claimed.

 

Now seated on a bench with a good view of Sehun and the three puppies running freely in the field, Kyungsoo turns to Kai when the latter picks up his hand and fiddles with his fingers. It’s strangely intimate, but yet, not quite.

 

“I moved in only last week,” Kai says eventually. “The morning of the day we met in the club, actually.” Kyungsoo frowns and thinks back to his birthday. He doesn’t recall seeing the other at all. “You really don’t remember me?” the other asks in disbelief. “I mean, you were in a rush so that’s possible, but surely I’m not that forgetta—”

 

Kai’s thumb strokes down the back of his hand gently, and with it brings a sudden realisation. _Ding ding ding!_ “You were the guy in the red suit!” Kyungsoo exclaims. He knew the other’s outfit was a little familiar when they were hooking up! “I thought you were the mailman.” Kai scoffs.

 

“Why did you move into this neighbourhood? Surely you can afford a better place? My neighbour’s house has been vacant for the longest time because no one wanted to move in here.”

 

“I like it here,” Kai shrugs, slotting his fingers between Kyungsoo’s again. He realises belatedly that they’ve been holding hands for quite some time now. He likes it. “It’s quiet, and yes, a little out of the way from the city… but that’s exactly why I chose to stay here. It’s nice to have a quiet place to yourself sometimes, away from pesky family member and all the drama in the city, you know?”

 

Kyungsoo squeezes the hand in his, sensing the other probably needs a touch of comfort.

 

“But what a coincidence, isn’t it?” he chuckles. “The guy I had a one-night stand with turns out to be my new neighbour. It’s the perfect drama plot,” he jokes.  

 

“Soo, I—” Kai hesitates and looks down at their entwined hands. “I-I…” He waits patiently with bated breath, unsure where this is going to lead to. “I don’t see you as just an one-night stand,” the other blurts out eventually. “I have been trying to tell you this over our messages, but I just can’t seem to man up and press send. I mean, I don’t even know if you’re gay or if you were just experimenting with me.” Kai flicks his gaze up to look into Kyungsoo’s eyes.

 

You know the feeling when it seems like all the air in your lungs gets wiped away because you’re suddenly so overwhelmed with thoughts; with emotions? It’s exactly how Kyungsoo is feeling right now. “I’m gay,” he breathes out. “Very, very gay… I’m positive.” He nods repeatedly. “S-So what are we now?” he holds up their hands and holds his breath in anticipation.  

 

Kai takes in a deep breath and when he exhales, his brows set in place, as if he had finally set his mind on something. “Boyfriends?” The other gives him a nervous little smile. “If you would have me, of course,” he quickly adds.

 

The _yes_ was already on the tip of Kyungsoo’s tongue, but before he can articulate it, Sehun comes stomping up to them. He hesitates before ultimately choosing to pay his son attention. “What’s wrong, Sehun?” Kyungsoo asks. The boy did not look happy at all — the bright smile on his face from playing with Kai’s puppies is nowhere to be seen.

 

“Ahjusshi, why are you holding my daddy’s hand?” Sehun stomps his foot on the ground. “Only Hunnie can hold daddy’s hand! Let go, ahjusshi!” The boy tries tugging on their joined hands to get them to let go, but because Kai stubbornly refuses, he ends up karate-chopping the latter’s wrist.

 

Kyungsoo knows he should not be laughing at the situation, but the incredulous look on Kai’s face and the possesive way Sehun is acting is too much to bear.

 

“Daddy, why are you laughing?” His son turns to him with a frown on his face. “Let go of daddy’s hand, ahjusshi… Hunnie don’t like you!” he ends up declaring because he doesn’t get his way. Who knew jealous Sehun could be so adorable?

 

“No, I don’t want to let go of your daddy’s hand!” Kai argues back childishly.

 

 _Oh dear._ Kyungsoo braces himself for the waterworks he knows is coming. Sure enough, Sehun’s bottom lip quivers before he juts it out to form a pout, tears welling up in his eyes.

 

“But daddy is Hunnie’s,” the boy sobs and holds his arms out to Kyungsoo — almost a plea for him to pick him up. “Is it daddy don’t want Hunnie anymore?”

 

Kyungsoo caves at once because _how…?_ How can he bear to see his son so heartbroken? He frees himself from Kai’s grip, ignoring the other’s low whine, and quickly picks up Sehun to hug him to his chest.

 

“Why would you think that, baby? I’m always yours… please don’t cry,” he whispers into the boy’s ears and bounces him up and down gently to calm him down. The hold Sehun has around his neck is tight — the boy’s short arms desperately wrapping around his father to ensure he doesn’t lose him. He rubs Sehun’s back and looks over at Kai apologetically. “I think that’s enough of the park for today, hmm? Let’s go home.”

 

Kai sighs and picks himself off the bench. “I’ll get the dogs,” he says.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay longer?” Kyungsoo says softly. “They seem to be really enjoying the grass.” They glance over at Monggu, Janggu and Jangah who were busy chasing one another in the field.

 

“It’s okay, I’ll walk you home,” Kai shakes his head before putting his fingers to his lips and whistling to get the attention of his dogs.

 

“Do you want to get down and walk?” Kyungsoo asks Sehun midway through the distance home.

 

“I think your daddy’s arms are tired,” Kai adds, rather unhelpfully Kyungsoo would say, because it just makes Sehun tighten his hold on him.

 

“No,” the boy mumbles into Kyungsoo’s neck, and he sighs. This is the clingiest he has ever seen his son. To be honest, he can’t fully comprehend Sehun’s behaviour.

 

It is only when they reach home and Kyungsoo crosses over the threshold that Sehun lets him put him down. It is probably because the boy sees this space as a safe haven, that is why he dashes out of sight, trusting that Kyungsoo will not disappear out of a sudden.

 

“I should go,” Kai gives him a sad smile and turns his body away. “I’ll see you again soon?” The other tugs on his dogs’ leashes to stop them from running after Sehun.

 

“Wait!” Kyungsoo calls after Kai when the other is halfway through his garden. He feels bad for the other, and he also feel it’s a pity the way their little outing ended. “I-I…” he stops in front of Kai and glances up shyly, but before the other could ask him what’s the matter, Kyungsoo takes the plunge and stands on his tiptoes to press his lips against Kai’s.

 

It’s brief but yet significant.

 

“What’s that for?” Kai touches his lips and glances at him with wide eyes, the beginning of a blush slowly taking over the span of his cheeks.

 

“It’s my answer,” Kyungsoo replies. “Back at the park, you asked if I would have you as my boyfriend.”

 

“So it’s a yes?”

 

He doesn’t know why the other would need confirmation. He thought the meaning behind a kiss would be telling enough.

 

“Yes, silly.” Kyungsoo snorts. “Y-E-S, yes. Happy now?”

 

“Very!” Kai punches his fist in the air and picks him up suddenly, spinning him around in a circle. It draws a surprised shriek out of Kyungsoo.

 

“I should go in before Sehun yells for me,” he says the second Kai sets him down again.

 

“Okay…” Kai takes a small step back and away from him, rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck, but he looks considerably happier than earlier. “I’ll call you after dinner?” Kyungsoo mirrors the smile on the other’s face and nods.

 

“Bye.”

 

“Bye,” Kai says, but he still lingers in front of Kyungsoo’s front gate, his puppies yapping away at his feet. Their eyes meet again and they burst out in laughter. It seems they share the same sentiments.

 

“Daddyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!! Vivi fell into the toilet bowl again!!!”  

 

 _Oh my god._ Kyungsoo shakes his head in despair before waving Kai off.

 

“Go! Seriously…” he chuckles and steps back onto the porch. “Daddy duties beckon.” He jerks a finger over his shoulder

 

“I’m going to have a hard time competing with the kid for your time, huh,” Kai sighs and blows him a kiss before walking up to his own house. “Would it help if I call you daddy too?” the other jokes, drawing an affronted gasp from Kyungsoo.

 

“I want a break up!” he huffs.

 

Kai laughs and disappears into his house. The second Kyungsoo makes his way inside his own and locks his front door, he presses his palms against his cheeks and lets out a muffled shout. He’s happy. _So, so happy._ Heart pounding loud and proud in his chest, Kyungsoo takes a seat by the foot of the stairs to rest, only to jolt upright the next second.

 

“Daddyyyyyyyy!!!! Where are you???”

 

“Coming!” he yells back before trudging up the stairs. The phone in his back pocket vibrates and he lets out a snort at the message he receives. “What are you doing to me, Kai?” he whispers to himself. Because he’s falling, and he’s falling hard and fast.

  


**[** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **sent you a message at 18:10]**

Hello, _daddy_

(Okay, I’m kidding. I’m sorry! Please don’t break up with me.)

…

⊙﹏⊙

 _Anyways…_ just wanted to ask if you’re free tomorrow night? Let’s go on a date

(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

  


Who knew the man he thought was a stripper back at the Elyxion would end up as his boyfriend? Also, who knew his heart could beat for another in this way?

 

=

 

“Tell me why we’re here again?”

 

“Trust me, I rather be back in the office than out here in the hot sun too,” Baekhyun sighs and looks over at Kyungsoo who was squinting out at the small stage set up on the field with a hand over his eyes.

 

“Should we get the hell out of here?”

 

“We won’t be able to leave without being seen,” Seulgi says. “I saw they have the exits guarded. Unless you want a demotion, I suggest we stay put. It’s just four more hours. We can do it… right?” She sounds uncertain herself. Kyungsoo grunts.

 

It’s the day of their company’s annual workplan retreat, and honestly, he can’t see the point of having it. He’s sure Baekhyun and Seulgi agree with him.

 

How it usually goes is that some HR director will spend up to an hour going through slides and painting the general direction the company plans to take this calendar year. It’s pointless because they know how fast things can change at work — one word from the board and they can find themselves working on something completely different from what they had set out to do. The sharing is hence completely premature.

 

What follows is what most staff dread — team bonding activities. It’s everything Kyungsoo hates to do, from playing sports to interacting with colleagues he knows next to nothing about (and probably would never have to work with in the future). Again, _pointless._  

 

The only upside is that they have the afternoon off. That’s basically it. Kyungsoo has already promised Sehun he would pick him up early from the childcare centre (the boy was _ecstatic_ to say the least). He can’t wait to go. They can probably have a father and son outing at the mall or something. It’s been awhile, especially with Kai slowly carving out a spot in his life now.

 

At the thought of his _boyfriend_ , Kyungsoo stops the smile on his face from growing. He still hasn’t gotten used to calling the other that, both out loud and on text. This past week, they’ve only been on two dates — it’s all they could sneak into their schedules because they had to find a way around a very attached Sehun who would cry whenever he realises Kyungsoo was going out without him, and also because Kai has been very busy. _Sorting out family stuff_ , the other had mentioned. But those two dates were _everything_ Kyungsoo had dreamed of, and he can’t wait for more.

 

“Argh… I’m hungry,” Seulgi groans. “Did you guys see what time is lunch?”

 

All the staff are currently gathered at the stands and waiting for Minseok to finish up his verbal vomit. Kyungsoo startles when Baekhyun nudges him suddenly. “Wait, isn’t that old man Kim?” His best friend points off to the side, and true enough, they see the CEO’s back, him seated with a couple of others they can’t quite make out who from the distance.

 

“That’s strange. He usually doesn’t attend such events.” Seulgi leans forward in her seat.  

 

“Maybe he’s here to announce we’re all getting bonuses?” Kyungsoo comments drily. It’s a joke, of course. Baekhyun even indulges him with a weak “ _yay!_ ” before he lets his arms flop to his side.

 

They soon get their answer when Minseok ends off his presentation and invites the CEO on stage to give his remarks. The atmosphere is tense as all the staff start to gossip among themselves the time it takes for CEO Kim to walk to the front, speculating as to why the other is here.

 

“Good morning,” their CEO greets. No smile, no acknowledgement. Pure seriousness. Kyungsoo exchange looks with Baekhyun and Seulgi. _Oh boy… this can’t be good._ “Thank you all for coming down to this year’s workplan retreat.” _As if we had a choice,_ Kyungsoo thinks. “I’m sure Minseok and team has put a lot of effort into making sure things run smoothly today. The reason why I’m here today is because I have an announcement to make.”

 

“I’ll be retiring from my position as CEO effective from tomorrow and there will be a board reshuffle in the coming weeks,” CEO Kim cuts straight to the point. The news seem to surprise a large part of the crowd. “For now, I would like to formally introduce everyone to my son, Jongin. He will step in as your CEO. Junmyeon and Minseok will be his deputies, and I’m very confident in all of their ability. With them, and with all of you, Kim K. Corporation will continue to pave the way at the forefront of the industry.”

 

Kyungsoo wants to punch the guy who starts a weak round of applause and ask _“seriously?”_ It’s as awkward as it can get.

 

“So we were right!” Seulgi chirps.

 

“Who’s this Jongin person though?” Baekhyun frowns.

 

“Come on up, Jongin,” CEO Kim says in timely fashion.

 

Kyungsoo feels like he has been sucker punched right in the gut when Jongin stands and makes his way to the stage. The sharp gasp from Baekhyun is to be expected too, but he cannot hear anything his best friend is saying to him in his state of shock.

 

 _How?_ He tries to grapple with his thoughts, but there were too many swimming around in his mind to make proper sense. _Jongin?_

 

“What’s going on?” He hears Seulgi ask, probably confused as to why her two friends are reacting to their new boss in this manner.

 

 _Because Jongin isn’t Jongin._ Kyungsoo has to get himself to calm down because he was breathing in and out a little too quickly. He definitely doesn’t want to hyperventilate and cause a scene now.  

 

“T-That’s Kai!” Baekhyun hisses and elbows him. “What the fuck? I knew he was rich, but he’s the heir to Kim K. Corporation?! Fuck Chanyeol for not telling me. Did you know this, Soo?”

 

“I-I—” He’s at a loss of words for sure. Kyungsoo looks away from Kai to stare at his friends who were both looking at him in concern. “I didn’t know,” he says softly.

 

On stage, Kai — _or should he say Jongin now?_ — gets handed the microphone and he taps on it a couple of times before smiling to greet the crowd.

 

“Hello, everyone! I’m Kim Jongin. I look forward to working with all of you!”

 

 _Kim Jongin._ He actually called himself Jongin and not Kai.

 

It’s the same face and the same smile Kyungsoo has grown accustomed to seeing at their dates and during secret video calls when Sehun is asleep, but the self-confirmation of the other’s name does it for him.

 

How could Kai keep something as big as his identity from him? Did he really mean so little to the other that he would keep such secrets from him? What can he make of their relationship now?

 

Looking at the other smile and shake the hands of directors who step forward to greet him when he gets off the stage, Kyungsoo feels like he’s looking at a complete stranger. This isn’t the guy he met at a strip club. This isn’t the guy who loves to spam cutesy emoticons over text.

 

This isn’t who he was falling in love with.

 

This is someone else altogether.

 

“A-Are you okay, Soo?” Baekhyun runs a comforting hand down his back, probably sensing that he was upset. It doesn’t help though. If anything, it grounds him even more to reality — that he had been part of a relationship built on a bed of lies.

 

“To be honest, I’m not,” he says.

 

=

  


**[** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **sent you a message at 19:50]**

Are you still on the way, Soo?

The movie started five minutes ago…

Should we just skip the movie and go grab dinner? I know a good thai place!

  


**[** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **sent you a message at 10:02]**

Erm Soo…

You didn't forget about our date right? (；一_一)

I tried calling you earlier but you didn’t pick up

Are you very busy at work now?

I noticed you haven’t been replying my texts the past couple of days too…

You’re not ignoring me right? (ಥ_ಥ)

Anyways, call me when you see this

  


**[** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **sent you a message at 21:03]**

Soo, you’re making me very worried

Was it something I did?

Are you at home now?

I’m coming over ok

  


**[You sent a message to** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **at 21:03]**

No, don’t come over

 

 **[** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **sent you a message at 21:04]**

Oh thank god you replied

Are you at home right now?

Have you eaten?

  


**[You sent a message to** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **at 21:04]**

I don’t want to see you right now

  


**[** ❤❤❤ ㅠㅠ The Sex God ㅠㅠ ❤❤❤ **sent you a message at 21:04]**

Why? What’s wrong, Soo?

Did I do something wrong?

Please talk to me

You know what… I’ll be right there.

  


Kyungsoo sits up on his bed at once and looks around in panic. He’s been doing a pretty good job avoiding Jongin at work these past couple of days, he doesn’t want to see the other now. Not to say, he’s also been moping in his room ever since he got back late from work. His current appearance is in no way appropriate to entertain visitors.

 

He quickly hobbles out of his room and stops when he reaches the top of the stairs. Baekhyun and Sehun were probably still up marathoning Spongebob Squarepants in the living room.

 

“Baek!” he hisses, hoping his voice was loud enough to be heard by the other, yet soft enough to not alert Sehun that something was off.

 

“Yeah?” Baekhyun yells back. _Never mind volume control then,_ Kyungsoo rolls his eyes.

 

“Can you come up here for awhile?”

 

He should have expected the complaints.

 

“Not now, Soo. Spongebob and Patrick are discussing how to set Mr Krabs on fire. Sehun and I are trying to pay attention.”

 

 _Oh my god!_ Kyungsoo runs his fingers through his hair anxiously and contemplates ripping them out. Jongin would be over any second now.

 

“Baek!” he practically screams. “I swear to god… I need you to come up _now_! We have a code red, okay. It’s K-A-I!”

 

There is silence for a second before he hears a loud thump and heavy footsteps running his way.

 

“What, what, what? I’m here.” Baekhyun runs up the stairs and stops in front of him, propping his hands on his hips and bending over to catch his breath. He does it with impressive speed though, Kyungsoo has to give it to him.

 

“He messaged to say he’s coming over. What should I do?” Kyungsoo chews on his bottom lip.

 

“Do you need me to chase him away? I can get salt from your kitchen. I see it works all the time in dramas.”

 

He is _this_ close to punching his best friend in his face.

 

“Just help me talk to him. Tell him I’m not in or something,” Kyungsoo says. “I’m still not ready to see him yet.”

 

Baekhyun gives him a sad smile and a squeeze on the arm. “Okay, got it… Your best friend has got your back, don’t worry. I’ll deal with him.” The other rolls up the sleeves of his hoodie and makes multiple quick jabs in the air with his fists. “Somebody’s gonna be catching these hands.” Another jab, and then a practice kick low enough for Kyungsoo to assume it’s meant for the groin area. “He wouldn’t know what’s coming.”

 

Kyungsoo smiles, knowing Baekhyun was just acting this way to cheer him up. Besides, if it really comes down to a fight between Jongin and him, they both know the likely outcome. Jongin has biceps almost twice the size of Baekhyun’s for goodness sake.

 

“Thank you, B—”

 

He gets interrupted by the doorbell and then the sound of someone knocking impatiently on the door. Kyungsoo feels his blood freeze over. They can hear Sehun moving around the sofa and then the boy yells to alert them that there is someone at the door.

 

“Uncle Baekkie, Mr Krabs wants to come in!”

 

“Go rest. I’ll put Sehun to bed later,” Baekhyun tells him before jogging down the stairs, and all Kyungsoo hears before his bedroom door shuts tight behind him is Baekhyun’s rude greeting to Jongin. He drowns out the sound of the latter’s reply and dives under his covers.

 

Sleep does not come easy that night.

 

=

 

Kyungsoo should have known Jongin would resort to this to get him to meet him again.

 

“The market valuation is actually pretty decent. If we get—”

 

“Look at me, Soo.”

 

Kyungsoo ignores the other’s statement and powers through with his update. The quicker he gets this over with, the quicker he can get out of this office. “—the other investors to buy in, we could hit one or two mil—” He jumps and falls silent when Jongin reaches over to fold his laptop shut.

 

“I said look at me, Soo. _Please_ ,” Jongin cannot sound any more pathetic.

 

“That’s the end of my progress update, sir. If there’s nothing else, I’d get going.” It was a pretty convenient (and underhanded) way for Jongin to force a meeting with him face-to-face — by disguising it under the context of work. Afterall, meetings between the CEO and his project leads are nothing out of the norm.

 

Desperation is probably what drives Jongin to reach for his hand, to pull him closer, the second he turns around. But Kyungsoo withdraws his hand with such speed one would think he had been burned.

 

“What do you want from me?” he snaps and stares at Jongin with angry eyes. “Is it not enough that you hid your identity from me?” Kyungsoo might as well have struck the other across the face. The hurt and regret he sees in Jongin’s eyes tug on his heartstrings a little, but he needs to remain firm.  

 

“I’m sorry, Soo,” Jongin says. “From the bottom of my heart, I apologise to you. But please believe me when I say I didn’t know you worked here. I had no intention of hurting you whatsoever by withholding the truth of my identity. _Please_.”

 

Kyungsoo takes his time to study the other, to look for any faults, but all he sees is sincerity and nothing else.

 

“Okay, I believe you,” he sighs. “But this doesn’t change anything!” he rushes out when he sees the other opening his mouth. “I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”

 

“Why not?!” Jongin exclaims, tugging on his tie frustratedly. If anything, the CEO looks _hot_.

 

Kyungsoo curses himself for being distracted by the sight and not reacting fast enough because there is a tight hold on his right hand a second later, and no matter how much pressure he applies, Jongin refuses to let go. It’s oddly reminiscent of their hand-holding episode at the park with Sehun some weeks back.

 

“Because you’re the CEO of this company and I’m just me — one of your many subordinates. We can’t be in a relationship. It’s not proper,” he says.

 

“So you’re going to throw away all our good memories and feelings for each other from the past month, all because it goes against some HR policy?” Jongin’s voice practically drips exasperation. Kyungsoo doesn’t dare meet his eyes. “Well, I’m just going to have to make changing that particular policy my first order of business as CEO then.”

 

Kyungsoo gasps and stares at the other with wide eyes. _Because why would he go to that extent?_

 

“I might have hid my identity from you when we were dating, Soo,” Jongin says, “but not once have I hid my feelings for you. Every smile I gave you, every hug and every kiss… sometimes even more — they all came from the bottom of my heart, I swear.”

 

Kyungsoo’s heart skips a beat when the other gives his hand a tight squeeze. He has missed this contact; this warmth in his heart. “Don’t you feel the same for me?” Jongin asks. “I know you do.”

 

He does.

 

“B-But—” Kyungsoo falters. “This situation between you and me… don’t you see it stands for everything I had disliked about the old management in this company? I hated Junmyeon for always getting the nod ahead of me because he has family on the board. I hate people who rely on connections to succeed. Tell me how can I still continue to see you knowing that you’re my boss and what others might say of our relationship?” he argues weakly.

 

“I’m not like my father and the new board is nothing like the corrupted old one, have more faith in me please.” At this point, Jongin can probably sense that Kyungsoo’s resolve is already weakening because he does not resist when the CEO draws him closer. “Work is work, Soo. We don’t have to mix it up with what we have outside of it. If you don’t want to make our relationship public, that’s fine with me. I promise you I will never show you any favouritism and I will always evaluate all proposals objectively, okay?”

 

Kyungsoo slips his eyes shut when he sees Jongin’s smile too close to his own face. Soft hands soon come up to cradle his face and he lets out a satisfied sigh.

 

“I missed you, Soo. You have no idea what I’ve been through these past weeks with all my family drama and you not being at my side to hold me up — being forced to let go of the Elyxion, although I trust Chanyeol is more than capable to run it properly, and also all the standoffs I was forced into with the old board members…”

 

At this, Kyungsoo reckons he does have some faults as well. Standing from Jongin’s perspective, he can understand the other’s actions.

 

“I’m sorry,” he says, finally allowing himself to wrap his arms around Jongin’s waist. The hug is brief though, as is the kiss the CEO plants on his forehead. “These past weeks have been hell without you too. Don’t ever hide things from me again, you hear?”

 

“Never,” Jongin promises, shaking his head. “I got such a scolding from Baekhyun and Sehun for making you sad. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that lesson.”

 

“Sehun?” Kyungsoo tilts his head back to stare up at Jongin.

 

“Yeah,” the other chuckles. “That night I came over demanding I speak to you… he was hiding behind Baekhyun’s legs while the man gave me a real dressing down. I certainly didn’t expected him to dart out suddenly and kick me on my shin. I still have the bruise to show.” Jongin wriggles his right leg.

 

Kyungsoo snorts and smiles to himself just imagining his son doing that.

 

“He’s a good kid,” he says.

 

“I know,” Jongin hums. “I can tell he really loves you.”

 

A series of knocks on the door then forces them to jump apart abruptly. Kyungsoo clears his throat and takes a step to the side, while Jongin calls out to his secretary.

 

“What is it, Yerim?”

 

“You have a two-thirty with Mr Yoo from the Korean Herald, Jongin.” The door opens mid-way and the said girl’s head pops in.

 

Jongin gives a quick glance to the watch on his wrist before replying, “Okay, got it. Thanks!”

 

“You let your secretary call you by your first name?” Kyungsoo asks the second Yerim closes the door behind her.

 

“Yeah, told you I’m different from my father,” Jongin shrugs nonchalantly before giving him a smile. “I need to go… but we’re good now right?” He looks at Kyungsoo expectantly. “You won’t hide away from me anymore?”

 

Kyungsoo smiles. “We’re good now—” He nods and glances around the room quickly before leaning in towards Jongin. “— _boyfriend_ ,” he whispers this. But Jongin hears it loud and clear all the same. It’s the first time Kyungsoo has used the term on him, and he can’t help his happiness.

 

=

 

**_Almost a year later_ **

 

Kyungsoo nods at the security guard politely and steps into the elevator, pressing on the button for the top floor at once. It’s late now — almost 9pm. He shouldn’t be here in the office at this hour! Every floor he passes in the elevator is dimly lit, work stations all vacant, and he hugs his tupperware to himself.

 

“The things I do for him,” Kyungsoo grumbles and hurries down the hallway when he reaches the 18th floor. The CEO’s office is all the way to the end, and when he rounds Yerim’s table, he sees the light in Jongin’s office is still on. He doesn’t bother knocking since there’s no one around, throwing open the set of double doors with a real flourish.

 

“Kim Jongin,” he grits out and marches toward the man hunched over a bunch of files on his table, hair tousled, probably from him running his fingers through it repeatedly, and circular gold-rimmed glasses perched neatly on his nose.

 

 _Damn, he looks hot,_ Kyungsoo’s footsteps almost falter.

 

“Soo? What are you doing here?” Jongin removes his glasses and sets it down on his table before coming around with his arms raised, probably expecting a hug. But Kyungsoo merely shoves his tupperware at Jongin’s chest. The other receives it with a pained grunt.

 

“I came to bring you dinner because it’s your birthday and I didn’t want you to eat alone,” he huffs and begins to clear out a small space on Jongin’s table so he can put down the food he had prepared.

 

“Fuck, I didn’t know it was already so late.” Jongin glances up from his watch and gives Kyungsoo an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, babe… I know you made plans to celebrate.” The CEO wraps his arms around Kyungsoo’s waist from the back and rests his chin on the smaller man’s shoulder, watching as he takes out dish after dish and place on the table.

 

It’s only after a minute that Kyungsoo goes slack in his arms and leans back against him.

 

“It’s alright,” he says. “I know you’ve been really busy working with Yixing’s team on the Sokcho project.” He cannot help the twitch of his eyebrow at the mention of his colleague.

 

“Is that bitterness I hear?” Jongin picks up on it at once and uses it to tease him.

 

“I thought my proposal was better than his,” Kyungsoo says it matter-of-factly.

 

The statement makes Jongin laugh. “Remember how you wanted me to not show any favouritism because of our relationship and to judge all proposals objectively?” Kyungsoo looks away stubbornly. “Yixing’s idea is indeed more practical for Sokcho. But don’t get me wrong… I love your proposal too, and that’s why it’s going to be marketed for the Jeju model.” The wide smile that grows on Kyungsoo’s face is brilliant.

 

“Really?!” he asks.

 

“Uh huh.” Jongin pulls Kyungsoo down to sit on his lap and hands over a set of cutleries. “I’m announcing it tomorrow. Let’s eat. I’m starving!”

 

“Here, try this chicken,” he picks up a slice and deposits it right into Jongin’s waiting mouth. “Sehun helped me in the kitchen. You’re going to have to apologise to him tomorrow. He was really looking forward to celebrating your birthday, you know? He kept asking me where his _papa_ was.”

 

“I’ll make it up to him,” Jongin mumbles as he chews on the chicken. “And can you stop squirming in my lap please. I’m trying to eat.”

 

“I can’t help that I keep sliding off!” Kyungsoo retorts and adjusts his position again, butt sliding over the length of Jongin’s thighs to stop precariously near the latter’s crotch.

 

“You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?” Jongin snorts, puts down his pair of chopsticks and grips both sides of Kyungsoo’s waist tightly.

 

“Are you turned on?” he asks in response.

 

“Well, although it’s hardly done at expert-level, my fiance is trying his best to give me a lapdance and he keeps rubbing his cute butt over my dick. What do you think?”

 

“Hey I’m trying my best here, don’t laugh,” Kyungsoo pouts and swivels his hips once more, with Jongin’s hands on his waist guiding him around. “I even went to consult Chanyeol and watch YouTube videos, can you believe it?” The CEO lets out a soft grunt when Kyungsoo bounces over the same spot lightly. _Oh he can believe it alright_. Jongin can already feel his erection growing. “Doesn’t this remind you of when we first met? You gave me a lapdance on my birthday last year… I thought it was only fitting I gave you back the same present.”

 

Jongin chuckles throatily before moaning as Kyungsoo slides up and down his lower body again.

 

“Do you like my present?”

 

“You’re like a minx, aren’t you?” he growls, deciding to take over finally. Jongin lifts Kyungsoo easily enough and spins him around so they sit facing each other. “You know, I don’t have a CCTV camera in my office.”

 

“So what do you suggest we do next?” Kyungsoo giggles and lets out a satisfied sigh when Jongin buries his face in his neck and starts pressing kisses up and down its length.

 

Safe to say, their dinner turns cold that night for Jongin was more interested to devour something (or rather, _someone_ ) else.

 

=

 

The End.

**Author's Note:**

> What did you guys think? Feel free to leave a comment after you finish this! Would love to know what you guys thought of it! ^^ 
> 
> I may have to write short drabbles after this. Was in a rush to complete this by Kaisoo Day so there could have been more stuff added into the story such as how Kyungsoo became Jongin's fiance and how Sehun went from calling Jongin ahjusshi to papa, but I just didn't have time to write them in. 
> 
> Until then, you can find me on twitter @niniflowerdyo if you want to reach me. Thanks for giving this story a chance! ❤️


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